Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy announced on January 31 that Visakhapatnam will be the new capital of the state.
In early 2015, the then CM N Chandrababu Naidu had declared Amaravati to be the new capital. However, in 2020, the state planned to have three capitals: Amaravati, Visakhapatnam, and Kurnool.
In March last year, the Andhra Pradesh High Court ruled against three capitals, telling the government to develop Amaravati, which has become the center of a land scam.
Here are 7 unique factors of the new capital:
1) Two ports: Visakhapatnam is the only city in India that can boast two of the largest ports in the country – Vizag Port and Gangavaram Port.
In 1993, Visakhapatnam Port was inaugurated and ranked among the top five ports in India in terms of cargo volume handled in 2022. Furthermore, Gangavaram is the deepest port in India with a total depth of 21 meters and was inaugurated in 2009, reported. Hindustan Times.
2) First naval firing range: In August 2022, Vice Admiral Biswajit Dasgupta, Commanding Officer Flag Officer of Naval Eastern Command at INS Karna on the east coast, inaugurated a Composite Indoor Shooting Range (CISR). Home to one of the three main bases of the Eastern Naval Command, it is also the headquarters of ENC.
3) ‘Gem of the East Coast’: Visakhapatnam is crowned as the ‘Jewel of the East Coast’ as it has one of the largest port cities in South India. The city has several beaches, museums, temples, which have also made it a tourist spot. It is also the largest and most populous city in Andhra Pradesh.
4) First underwater museum in South Asia: In 2002, INS Kursura was decommissioned in 2001 and converted into an underwater museum at Rama Krishna beach. It is also the second underwater museum in the world.
5) Oldest Dockyard in India: Hindustan Shipyard Limited, established in 1941, is the oldest shipyard in India. In July, Hindustan Shipyard Limited announced its highest turnover to date of $Rs 759 crore (provisional) for FY 2021-22. The Ministry of Defense company unlocked the unique milestone of building 200 ships and completing 2,000 repairs since its inception.
6) ‘INS Arihant’ built in Vizag: India’s first indigenous nuclear powered submarine ‘INS Arihant’ was launched for sea trials in 2009 at Vijay Diwas by then Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh. The 6,000-ton vessel was built under the Advanced Technology Vessel (ATV) project at the Ship Building Center in Visakhapatnam.
7) RRR’s Alluri Seeta Rama Raju hails from Vizag: SS Rajamouli’s blockbuster ‘RRR’ (Rise, Roar, Revolt) catapulted Alluri Sitarama Raju to instant fame. In the film, Ram Charan played the role of the freedom fighter, who spent his early years in Vizag, the hometown of his mother.