AP Cabinet approves master plan for new capital; first phase by 2018.

The Andhra Pradesh Cabinet, which met for four hours recently , approved the master plan for the new capital - Amaravati - submitted by the Singapore team.

Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu has been camping since July 14, the day the Godavari maha pushkaram began. The Singapore team submitted the master plan to the Chief Minister recently.

The Cabinet first passed a resolution condoling the death of 27 devotees in a stampede at the pushkar ghat on the first day of the pushkaram. It was decided to hold an inquiry into the incident. The first phase of the capital may be completed by 2018. It was also decided to constitute a five-member committee to undertake study tours of several cities in the world and make suitable suggestions.

The Cabinet has decided to shift as many government offices as possible to Vijayawada and Guntur from Hyderabad. The strike by the municipal staff in the State also came up for discussion.

HBL