Amaravati: Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi laid the foundation stone of Andhra Pradesh's new capital, Amaravati at Uddandarayunipalem village in Guntur district. The new capital boasts of a 17 km long waterfront and is strategically placed between Guntur and Vijayawada. With investement worth £2 billion, the city has found trouble with the National Green Tribunal for flouting environmental norms.
Among those present were Union Ministers M Venkaiah Naidu, Ashok Gajapathi Raju and Nirmala Sitaraman, AP and Telangana Governor ESL Narasimhan and Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao. Modi went around the 'Amaravati Pavilion', a walk through showcasing evolution of the city, neck deep in immense historical, mythological and cultural significance. The city was once the seat of power of the Satavahana rulers, and as per orders from Naidu, soil and water from 16,000 villages in the state and prominent pilgrim centres in the country were brought to the 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 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 150,000 people.
More than 14,000 policemen drawn from various parts of Andhra Pradesh and 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.
