Vijayawada in the forefront for Seemandhra capital

• Vizag, Vijayawada, Guntur, Kurnool and Tirupati to be considered by the expert committee

• Some leaders feel Vijayawada would be the best option

• Vizag and Kurnool may be ruled out because of their geographic location

Hyderabad: With Parliament clearing the formation of Telangana State, the focus now shifts to identifying a new capital for the residuary state of Andhra Pradesh.

As per the Centre's commitment, the new capital for Andhra Pradesh has to be identified within 45 days after Telangana State formally comes into being. Visakhapatnam, Vijayawada, Guntur, Kurnool and Tirupati are the major cities in Seemandhra which would be considered by the expert committee that is to be constituted soon.

While Visakhapatnam has a major port, airport, many public sector and private industries and is also the headquarters of Eastern Naval Command, geographically it may not be very suitable because of its location. It would be very far off from Rayalaseema region.

Interestingly, native people of Vizag are said to be not so enthused about their city becoming the new capital. “Our peace will be disturbed” is said to be their concern.

Many leaders feel that Vijayawada, which is known as the 'commercial capital' and also 'political capital', besides being an educational and cultural hub, would be the best option. They claim that it was well-connected by railways and is the vital south-north link. It currently has a domestic airport with daily flights to major cities, including New Delhi.

Government authorities too are said to be pitching the case for Vijayawada as capital of residuary Andhra Pradesh. They are said to have identified close to 800 acres of government land between Vijayawada and Guntur, another growing city, for creating necessary infrastructure for the new capital.

Though the Rayalaseema leaders want Kurnool to be the capital since they had to forego the capital status which it enjoyed between 1953 and 1956 when Andhra Pradesh was formed, location wise it is not advantageous, majority feel. It lies thrown away from coastal districts.

Initially, the area between Chilakaluripet and Ongole, abutting the National Highway-16, was thought of as an ideal location for the new capital but non-availability of water has become a deterrent, according to official sources.