Centre to Constitute Panel to Select New AP Capital

Union Minister Jairam Ramesh on Friday said that a 5-member expert committee would be constituted next week to select the capital of the residuary state of Andhra Pradesh.

Speaking to reporters after the meeting of the Group of Ministers (GoM) on the bifurcation of Andhra Pradesh here, Ramesh said that the proposed committee would be given 6 months to suggest a suitable location for the new capital, after holding consultations with all the stakeholders.

He added that as many as 19 committees have been constituted by the State Government to look into various issues like allocation of physical and financial assets, employees, companies and corporations, contracts, training institutes, security and police, and resource mobilization.

Of the two committees constituted to bifurcate the employees, one committee is looking into the bifurcation of 84,000 state-level employees, while the other is working out the modalities for the division of the Indian Administrative Service, Indian Police Service and Indian Forest Service officers.

Ramesh said that a consultant has been appointed under the Deputy Chairman of Planning Commission to study the needs of the residuary state of Andhra Pradesh.

He informed that the GoM meeting, chaired by Union Home Minister Sushilkumar Shinde, reviewed the progress of works related to bifurcation before June 2, the day when Telangana and the residuary Andhra Pradesh will come into being. (INN)