AP govt tables bill on three capitals after 8-hour standoff in

Ending nearly eight-hour long standoff in the Andhra Pradesh Legislative Council, the YSRC government on Tuesday tabled a bill which will facilitate creation of three capitals for the state.

After opposition TDP, which is in majority in the 58- member Upper House, blocked the introduction of the bill citing rules leading to five adjournments since morning, Chairman M A Sharrif in a relief to the government allowed it to move the key legislation for consideration.

Ending the stalemate, the AP Decentralisation and Inclusive Development of All Regions Bill, 2020 and another bill to repeal the AP Capital Region Development Authority (CRDA) Act, 2014 were moved in the evening and the House is likely to sit late possibly to discuss them.

The decebtralisation bill, which seeks to pave the way for establishment of executive capital in Visakhapatnam, legislative in Amaravati and judicial capital in Kurnool, and the other were passed by the state assembly late on Monday night amid opposition by the TDP and after suspension of 17 of its MLAs from the House for disrupting Chief Minister Jagan Mohan Reddy's address.

The bill on decentralisation provides for dividing the state into various zones and establishing zonal planning and development boards. The village and (municipal) ward secretariats system that the government brought in October last year now gets statutory backing as it has been made part of the new bill.

The other bill seeks to repeal the CRDA Act, enacted on December 22, 2014 for development of the state capital post- bifurcation with a specific area demarcated as the capital region, since the YSRC government has decided to have three capitals for the state.

The government's move for three capitals has triggered protests by farmers who had given their lands development of Amaravati as the capital as envisaged by the previous TDP regime.

A large number of farmers and women defied prohibitory orders and broke security cordon to reach the state legislature complex on Monday protesting the bills but were disperse by the police.

While the government was keen on passage of the bills in the Council, it ran into stiff opposition in the morning.

The House witnessed pandemonium as the TDP blocked introduction of the bills, citing rules and accusing the government of bringing its policy in the form of the legislation.

It moved a motion "disapproving the policy of the government" and was allowed by the Chairman much to the chagrin of the ruling YSR Congress, which has only nine members in the Council.

Ministers trooped into the Well asking the Chairman to take up the AP Decentralisation and Inclusive Development of All Regions Bill, 2020 on a priority.

The Ministers also raised slogans from the Well as the stalemate continued, leading to five adjournments.

At one time, the ministers spoke in a pleading tone and requested that the Chairman reconsider his decision on allowing the TDP motion.

Senior minister Botsa Satyanarayana asked the Chairman not to use the Council for "political business."
Deputy Chief Minister Pilli Subhash Chandra Bose said, "We are pleading with you to reconsider the decision. This is not government policy, but a Bill."