CRDA: the office that decides almost everything about this land
CRDA stands for Capital Region Development Authority. The full name is the Andhra Pradesh Capital Region Development Authority, which people write as APCRDA. Nearly every question about land here ends at its door. It runs the pooling, approves the layouts, decides which plot each farmer gets, puts out the tenders for roads and buildings, and keeps the plot records you will want to look up.
Last reviewed 2026-08-27
Where it came from
CRDA was created by an Act passed on 30 December 2014. It took over from the old Vijayawada-Guntur-Tenali-Mangalagiri Urban Development Authority.
One section of that Act matters more than the rest. Section 55 is the part that lets the government notify a land pooling scheme, which is why every Phase 2 order you read quotes "sub-section (2) of Section 55". If you see that line in a paper, it means a pooling scheme is being started.
The Act itself has been through a fight. A 2020 law tried to repeal it altogether. That repeal was withdrawn in November 2021, and the Act stands.
How much area it covers
Two areas get confused with each other, so keep them apart. The capital region is the big one: 8,352.69 sq km, restored to that size by a CRDA decision on 3 August 2024. It takes in parts of Krishna, Guntur, Palnadu, NTR, Bapatla and Eluru districts, including Vijayawada, Guntur, Mangalagiri and Tenali, across 33 full mandals and 25 part mandals, 3 municipal corporations and 10 municipalities.
The capital city is the small one inside it: 217.23 sq km. That is where the pooled land and the layouts are. Land can be in the capital region and still be nowhere near the city.
Three names you will keep hearing
- CRDA. Headed by a Commissioner, an IAS officer. It does the planning, the pooling, the layout approvals, the plot allotments, the tenders for roads and services, and the land allotments to colleges and companies. Its main office is at Rayapudi.
- ADC, sometimes written ADCL. The Amaravati Development Corporation. This is the government company that actually builds things and manages the projects, such as the Kondaveeti Vagu and Pala Vagu flood works.
- MAUD. The Municipal Administration and Urban Development department, which CRDA answers to. The MAUD minister runs the regular reviews and the Chief Minister chairs the Authority's own meetings.
Pages on its website you can check yourself
All four are free and open to anyone. If a seller will not give you the village, unit and plot number to search with, that itself is the answer.
- Know Your Plot. Which farmers pooled land in a village, and what has since happened to each plot.
- LPS layouts. The 26 layout units, listed by mandal and village.
- Final lottery details. Who was allotted which plot in each draw.
- The GIS portal, which shows plot boundaries on a map. CRDA staff use it at the draws to show farmers where their plot actually is.
Questions people ask
What is the full form of CRDA?
Capital Region Development Authority. In Andhra Pradesh it is the Andhra Pradesh Capital Region Development Authority, written APCRDA, set up by an Act on 30 December 2014.
What is the difference between CRDA and APCRDA?
In practice, nothing. CRDA is the general term for a capital region development authority. APCRDA names the Andhra Pradesh one. Government papers and the website at crda.ap.gov.in use both words for the same office.
Where is the CRDA office?
At Rayapudi in Thullur mandal, on the Vijayawada to Amaravati road. The plot allotment draws in 2026 were held there.
Is CRDA the same as ADC?
No, and it is a useful difference to know. CRDA is the authority that plans and pools. ADC, the Amaravati Development Corporation, is a government company that carries out and manages the actual construction.
Want a straight answer about a plot or a village?
We live and work in the capital villages. Send the survey number or LP number and we will tell you what we know, including the things that should make you pause.