Amaravati, April 30 -- After years of uncertainty, legal battles and political turmoil, Amaravati - the capital city of Andhra Pradesh - has finally begun taking a concrete shape. Once dismissed as a "ghost city" and "graveyard" by critics, the capital city spread across 34,389 acres is now buzzing with hectic activity, gearing up for a major relaunch.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi is scheduled to visit Amaravati on May 2 to formally relaunch the capital's construction, which was stalled for five years between 2019 and 2024 when YS Jagan Reddy of YSR Congress Party (YSRCP) was the chief minister. On May 31, 2019, work on 73 bungalows (38 for judges, 35 for ministers) was stopped along with that of 288 homes for MLAs and MLCs and bureaucra...