First look at Andhra’s new capital region, made in Singapore

Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu is expected to lay the foundation stone for the new capital in the first week of June.

A layout for Andhra Pradesh’s new capital region is ready, prepared by Singapore, though Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu is learnt to have suggested a few changes during his visit there. The modified plan is expected in six to eight weeks.

The capital region between Vijayawada and Guntur will include two ring roads — a Regional Expressway and an Outer Regional Expressway — and several radial roads including Capital City Bypass and Vijayawada Bypass connecting various towns to the core capital region. Highways will connect the region to Vizag, Chennai, Hyderabad, Raipur, Kakinada, Kurnool and Bangalore. A dedicated railway freight corridor will connect to New Delhi via Hyderabad.

Industrial zones will be set up at Sattenapalle, Nandigama, Gannavaram, Nuzvid, Kondapalli, Tenali, Pamarru, and at two locations in the capital city.

National Waterway 4 has been proposed on two routes, Wazirabad-Vijayawada-Vodarevu and Wazirabad-Vijayawada-Rajahmundry-Kakinada. An airport has been planned at Mangalagiri, and five corridors will have high-speed railways.

Naidu is expected to lay the foundation stone for the new capital in the first week of June. Officials of the Singapore government presented phase-I of the master plan to him on Monday. The Capital Region Plan, spanning 7,325 sq km, is the first of a three-stage master plan.

Singapore is working in partnership with Andhra Pradesh under a memorandum of understanding signed on December 8, 2014. Surbana International Consultants and Jurong Consultants are the master planners. Naidu and Singapore’s Second Minister for Trade and Industry S Iswaran chaired a high-level committee meeting on Sunday.

The core capital will have the secretariat, Raj Bhawan, legislative assembly, and high court. These are four buildings the AP government is likely to start building while it is hopeful of funds from the Centre to build roads, civic infrastructure, quarters for ministers and government officers and staff.

The Andhra Pradesh and Singapore delegations will meet in the next six to eight weeks once Singapore has come up with a revised version of the master plan.

The Capital Region Plan forms the larger framework upon which the Capital City Plan and Seed Development Plan will be made. These plans are set to be delivered after July.

The delegation from Andhra Pradesh gave a presentation on the land pooling process and the various timelines for making the capital ready.

While in Singapore, Naidu read a note in remembrance of Singapore’s founding father Lee Kuan Yew.

Source:: Indian Express