Agencies/Vijayawada

Prime Minister Narendra Modi urged authorities yesterday to build a modern, tech-savvy city, as he laid the foundation stone for the new capital of Andhra Pradesh.
Hundreds of thousands of locals and dignitaries attended the elaborate ceremony to kickstart the building of Amaravati, the new capital of the state, on former farmland on the banks of a river.
The city is needed after Andhra Pradesh was last year carved in two, forming the new state of Telangana, after an emotional campaign by locals stretching almost six decades.
Hyderabad, an IT hub home to giants Google and Microsoft, will serve as the capital of both states for the next decade until Amaravati is completed.
Modi praised the state government for seeking outside help to design the city, after Singapore government agencies developed master plans.
“Very few new cities have been formed in India since after our independence, so, sadly this idea still isn’t discussed as much,” Modi said at the ceremony.
“We should take urbanisation as an opportunity and not a challenge for us.
“I hope that Amaravati becomes the leader in all aspects of smart, modern cities across India,” he said as the crowd chanted the city’s name.
After coming to power in May 2014, Modi’s government announced ambitious plans to develop 100 so-called “smart cities” in a country where rapid urbanisation has left infrastructure struggling to cope.
Yesterday, soil and water collected from holy rivers, temples and mosques throughout India and from other countries was scattered on the site as prayers and other rituals were performed.
Campaigners argued for years that Telangana was needed because the Telugu-speaking region in Andhra Pradesh had long been neglected by successive state governments.  
But other sections of Andhra Pradesh fiercely opposed the split, fearing it would trigger economic upheaval.
Modi also promised to fulfil all the commitments made in the Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation Act.
He assured the people that the central government would stand by the state in its journey for development.
“Be assured this pair of Chandrababu Naidu and Modi will achieve in a time-bound manner the commitments made and fulfil the dreams of Andhra,” he said.
Naidu is the chief  minister of Andhra Pradesh.
Modi, however, made no announcement of the special category status or the special package for the state which Naidu was hoping for.
Without naming the Congress Party, he said the people who divided the state for their political interests and in a great hurry were again trying to spread poison by provoking people with false propaganda.
He was apparently referring to allegations by the Congress and other opposition parties that the central government failed to fulfil its promise on special category status.
Both the Congress and YSR Congress party stayed away from the foundation stone laying ceremony because of what they called forcible acquisition of land from farmers for the capital.
Speaking at the same function, Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao offered all help to Andhra Pradesh for the development of its state capital.
“Telangana will extend all the help required,” he said in his brief speech on his first visit to Andhra Pradesh after the division of the state. There were loud cheers from people when KCR, as Rao is popularly known, rose to speak.
Modi, in his speech earlier, hailed Naidu’s gesture in personally visiting KCR’s house to invite him.
Central minister M Venkaiah Naidu congratulated KCR and Naidu for sharing the dais for the first time after the division of Andhra Pradesh. He said the states may have separated for administrative convenience but the Telugu people remain united.
He said the two chief ministers have shown the way that the two states could work together.