Experts against concentrated development in Andhra Pradesh capital city
Hyderabad: Urban development experts, architects and town planners said there is no laid down standard norm for the extent of land required to build a capital city. It is up to the Andhra Pradesh government to take a decision on building a capital city in a smaller or even a larger area.
“Capital cities in many countries are smaller than their other cities. For example, the capital city of Brazil i.e. Brasilia is smaller than Sau Paulo which is one of the largest city in the world. Likewise, the capital cities in many countries are bigger than any of its other cities,” said popular architect and town planner S.P. Shorey.
Urban development experts are of the view that the development should not be concentrated in one city, which has been the case in Hyderabad. The new capital of residuary AP would be the fifth planned capital city after Gandhinagar in Gujarat, Chandigarh in Punjab, Bhubaneshwar in Odisha and naya (new Raipur in Chhattisgarh.
Though 10,000 acres to 20,000 acres each were initially earmarked for the above planned capital cities, development came up in about 5,000 acres. It will take another 25 years to 50 years for development to spread in the entire capital city regions.
Another eminent town planner J.V. Ramudu said several cities in the world have industries in one city, IT hubs in another city, assembly building and high courts in different cities.
“Though Vijayawada and Guntur will be a good location for AP’s new capital city because both are already reasonably developed cities with scope for mega city development, the State government should not concentrate the development in one area and should distribute it among various towns," he said.
AP Municipal and Urban Development Minister Dr P Narayana said the the government has plans for construction of hig-rise buildings and all important office buildings would be well connected with road connectivity.
"The government is looking at integrated development," he said. "We will hire one of the best consultants in the world to prepare a capital city development project report for AP. We are looking for such consultants. While office buildings can be located in one larger area, other hubs like ndustry, IT, Pharma can be distributed in other cities and towns," he added.
