From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level : Various committees mentioned in the newscard
Mains level : Three capitals concept
The Andhra Pradesh Assembly passed The Andhra Pradesh Decentralisation and Equal Development of All Regions Bill, 2020, paving the way for three capitals for the state.
Three capitals concept in Andhra Pradesh
- Three cities serve as capitals of the country– Pretoria (executive), Cape Town (legislative), and Bloemfontein (judicial).
- This arrangement was a result of the Second Boer War (1899-1902) in which Britain annexed the two Afrikaner speaking states -– the Orange Free State and the South African Republic (also called Transvaal Republic).
- Cape of Good Hope then remained in the British Empire, becoming self-governing in 1872, and uniting with three other colonies to form the Union of South Africa in 1910.
What are the other examples of multiple capital cities?
- Several countries in the world have implemented the concept.
- In Sri Lanka, Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte is the official capital and seat of national legislature, while Colombo is the de facto seat of national executive and judicial bodies.
- Malaysia has its official and royal capital and seat of national legislature at Kuala Lumpur, and Putrajaya is the administrative centre and seat of national judiciary.
- Among Indian states, Maharashtra has two capitals– Mumbai and Nagpur (which holds the winter session of the state assembly).
- Himachal Pradesh has capitals at Shimla and Dharamshala (winter).
- The former state of Jammu & Kashmir had Srinagar and Jammu (winter) as capitals.
Reasons behind such considerations
- According to the government, decentralisation was the central theme in recommendations of all major committees that were set up to suggest a suitable location for the capital of Andhra Pradesh.
- It had been agreed in the November 16, 1937 Sri Bagh Pact (between leaders of coastal Andhra and Rayalaseema) that two university centres should be established in Waltair (Visakhapatnam) and Anantapur in Rayalaseema, and that the High Court and Metropolis should be in the coastal districts and Rayalaseema respectively.
- In December 2010, the Justice B N Srikrishna Committee, set up to look into the demand for a Telangana state, said Rayalaseema and North Coastal Andhra were economically the most backward, and the “concentration of development efforts in Hyderabad is the key reason for demand of separate states”.
- In August 2014, the K Sivaramakrishnan Committee appointed to identify locations for the new capital of AP said the state should see decentralised development, and that one mega capital city was not desirable.
Major practical problems
- The government argues that the Assembly meets only after gaps of several months, and government Ministers, officers, and staff can simply go to Amaravati when required.
- However, coordinating between seats of legislature and executive in separate cities will be easier said than done, and with the government offering no specifics of a plan, officers and common people alike fear a logistics nightmare.
- The distances in Andhra Pradesh are not inconsiderable. Executive capital Visakhapatnam is 700 km from judicial capital Kurnool, and 400 km from legislative capital Amaravati.
- The Amaravati-Kurnool distance is 370 km. The time and costs of travel will be significant.
- The AP Police are headquartered in Mangalagiri, 14 km from Vijayawada, and senior IPS officers who may be required to visit the Secretariat will have to travel 400 km to Visakhapatnam.
- Likewise, government officers who may have to appear in the High Court will have to travel 700 km to Kurnool, which does not have an airport.
- All officers and Ministerial staff who may have to be at hand to brief Ministers when the Assembly is in session, will probably have to stay put in Amaravati, leaving behind their other responsibilities in Visakhapatnam.
"Kutokana na maoni ya UPSC, mambo yafuatayo ni muhimu: ""kiwango cha awali: Kamati mbalimbali zilizotajwa katika kadi ya habari: kiwango kikuu: dhana ya miji mitatu ya mji mkuu"" Bunge la Andhra Pradesh lilipitisha ""Bila ya Andhra Pradesh ya Kurejesha na Maendeleo ya Mikoa Yote ya Usawa,"" 2020,"" kuandaa njia ya miji mitatu ya mji mkuu kwa jimbo." Dhana ya miji mitatu ya mji mkuu katika Andhra Pradesh - Miji mitatu hutumika kama miji mikuu ya nchi - Pretoria (mtendaji), Cape Town (masharti), na Bloemfontein (mahakama). - Mpangilio huu ulikuwa matokeo ya Vita vya Pili vya Boer (1899-1902) ambapo Uingereza ilijumuisha majimbo mawili ya kuzungumza Afrika - Jimbo la Orange Free na Jamhuri ya Afrika Kusini (pia inajulikana kama Jamhuri ya Transvaal). Cape of Good Hope ilibaki katika Milki ya Uingereza, ikawa yenye kujitawala mnamo 1872 na kuungana na koloni nyingine tatu kuunda Umoja wa Afrika Kusini mnamo 1910. Ni mifano gani mingine ya miji mikuu mingi? - Nchi kadhaa ulimwenguni zimetumia dhana hiyo. Sri Jayawardenepura ni mji mkuu wa Sri Lanka na makao makuu ya serikali, na Colombo ni makao makuu ya serikali. Malaysia ina mji mkuu wake rasmi na wa kifalme na kiti cha bunge la kitaifa huko Kuala Lumpur, na Putrajaya ni kituo cha utawala na kiti cha mahakama ya kitaifa. - Miongoni mwa majimbo ya India, Maharashtra ina miji miwili ya mji mkuu - Mumbai na Nagpur (ambayo inashikilia kikao cha majira ya baridi ya bunge la jimbo). - Himachal Pradesh ina miji mikuu katika Shimla na Dharamshala (majira ya baridi). - Jimbo la zamani la Jammu na Kashmir lilikuwa na Srinagar na Jammu (majira ya baridi) kama miji mikuu. "Kulingana na serikali, ""kuto-kutoa mamlaka"" ilikuwa mandhari kuu katika mapendekezo ya kamati zote kuu zilizowekwa ili kupendekeza eneo linalofaa kwa mji mkuu wa Andhra Pradesh." Mkataba wa Sri Bagh wa 16 Novemba 1937 uliamua kwamba chuo kikuu cha Anantapur na chuo kikuu cha Waltair, vilikuwa vituko vya wilaya ya Rayalaseema. "Kulingana na Kamati ya Mahakama ya Mahakama ya Mahakama ya Mahakama ya Mahakama ya Mahakama ya Mahakama ya Mahakama ya Mahakama ya Mahakama ya Mahakama ya Mahakama ya Mahakama ya Mahakama ya Mahakama ya Mahakama ya Mahakama ya Mahakama ya Mahakama ya Mahakama ya Mahakama ya Mahakama ya Mahakama ya Mahakama ya Mahakama ya Mahakama ya Mahakama ya Mahakama ya Mahakama ya Mahakama ya Mahakama ya Mahakama ya Mahakama ya Mahakama ya Mahakama ya Mahakama ya Mahakama ya Mahakama ya Mahakama ya Mahakama ya Mahakama ya Mahakama ya Mahakama ya Mahakama.""" Kamati ya K. Sivakrishnan iliyochaguliwa kuamua eneo la mji mkuu mpya wa AP, ilisema kuwa serikali inapaswa kuona maendeleo ya kugawanyika, na kwamba mji mkuu mmoja mkubwa haukuhitajika. Serikali inasema kwamba Bunge linakutana tu baada ya mapumziko ya miezi kadhaa, na mawaziri wa serikali, maafisa, na wafanyakazi wanaweza tu kwenda Amaravati wakati inahitajika. Hata hivyo, kuratibu kati ya viti vya bunge na mtendaji katika miji tofauti itakuwa rahisi kusema kuliko kufanywa, na kwa serikali kutoa hakuna maelezo ya mpango, maafisa na watu wa kawaida sawa hofu logistics ndoto mbaya. - Umbali katika Andhra Pradesh si mdogo. Visakhapatnam ni mji mkuu wa nchi hiyo, na iko umbali wa kilomita 700 kutoka mji mkuu wa mahakama Kurnool na kilomita 400 kutoka mji mkuu wa sheria Amaravati. Amaravati-Kurnool umbali ni kilomita 370. Wakati na gharama za kusafiri zitakuwa kubwa. Polisi wa Jimbo la Andhra Pradesh wana makao makuu yao mjini Mangalagiri, umbali wa kilomita 14 kutoka Vijayawada, na maafisa wa IPS wa ngazi ya juu ambao wanaweza kuhitajika kutembelea Katibu wa Jimbo hilo watalazimika kusafiri kilomita 400 hadi Visakhapatnam. "Maafisa wa serikali ambao wanahitaji kuhudhuria mahakama ya juu watalazimika kusafiri umbali wa kilomita 700 hadi Kurnool, ambayo haina uwanja wa ndege.""" """Maafisa na wafanyakazi wote wa wizara ambao wanaweza kuwa karibu kuwaambia mawaziri wakati Bunge linapokuwa likikutana, labda watalazimika kukaa huko Amaravati, wakiacha nyuma majukumu yao mengine huko Visakhapatnam."