Amaravati: Amid fanfare, Prime minister Narendra Modi on Thursday laid the foundation stone of Andhra Pradesh's new capital Amaravati at Uddandarayunipalem village in Guntur district. Calling it a dream capital, Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu intends to make it a major industrial hub.
The city boasts a 17-km-long waterfront and is strategically placed between Guntur and Vijayawada. Though the city has already attracted investments worth Rs 20,000 crore, it has run into trouble with the National Green Tribunal for flouting environmental norms. The village is located about 40 kms from Vijayawada which is the commercial hub of the state.
Union Ministers M Venkaiah Naidu, Ashok Gajapathi Raju and Nirmala Sitaraman, AP and Telangana Governor ESL Narasimhan and Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao were among those present on the occasion of 'shilanyas' in the village.
Modi went around 'Amaravati Pavilion', a walk through showcasing evolution of Amaravati, a place of immense historical, mythological and cultural significance, its present and future.
Amaravati was once the seat of power of Satavahana rulers. As per a call given by Chandrababu Naidu, soil and water from 16,000 villages in the state and prominent pilgrim centres in the country have been brought to the capital region to be used in the construction of the capital city.
The idea is to promote a sense of belongingness among the people, officials said.
Singapore government agencies have prepared the master plans for the three-layered capital - seed capital, capital city and capital region.
The authorities had made seating arrangements for one lakh people as nearly 1.5 to 2 lakh people were expected to attend the event. The venue was decked up with flowers, banners, festoons while LED screens were also erected to help people watch the entire proceedings.
The organisers including Heritage Food owned by Chandrababu Naidu's family arranged food, buttermilk and coffee for 1.5 lakh people.
More than 14,000 policemen drawn from various parts of Andhra Pradesh and also neighbouring Telangana and paramilitary forces were deployed as part of the massive arrangements. Restrictions were imposed on several roads surrounding the region including Chennai-Kolkatta highway to regulate traffic.
(With agency inputs)
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