Amaravati, March 28 (H.S.): The Andhra Pradesh Legislative Assembly on Saturday unanimously passed a resolution urging the Central Government to grant legal sanctity to Amaravati as the capital city of the state by amending provisions of the Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation Act, 2014.

Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu moved the resolution in the House soon after proceedings began, calling for a discussion and its adoption.

The resolution requests the Centre to amend Section 5 of the Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation Act, 2014, to specifically recognise Amaravati as the capital of Andhra Pradesh. The proposed amendment includes inserting the words “at Amaravati” in sub-section (2) and incorporating a clarification that Amaravati includes the capital city area notified under the Andhra Pradesh Capital Region Development Authority (APCRDA) Act, 2014.

Addressing the Assembly after the debate, the Chief Minister asserted that Amaravati would remain the permanent capital of the state.

“There is only one capital for Andhra Pradesh and that is Amaravati. It is the permanent capital and cannot be shifted,” Naidu said.

Section 5 of the AP Reorganisation Act had earlier designated Hyderabad as the common capital of Telangana and Andhra Pradesh for a period of ten years following the bifurcation in 2014, while mandating the creation of a new capital for the residuary Andhra Pradesh without naming a specific city.

With the Assembly now adopting the resolution, the state government is expected to pursue the matter with the Centre, particularly during the ongoing Parliament session.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Indrani Sarkar