Andhra Pradesh Capital Region Development Authority decides to take the help of Singapore government for constructing Amaravati

CRDA seeks Singapore collaboration for Amaravati development, restores original jurisdiction, and plans mega city transformation over 25-50 years.

In a significant step towards the construction of the capital city Amaravati, the AP Capital Region Development Authority (CRDA) decided in its meeting held under the chairmanship of Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu on Friday to find if the Singapore government would again collaborate in the development of the seed capital after having had a bitter experience in 2019-24. The Andhra Pradesh (AP) government officials concerned will now get in touch with the Singapore government to explore the possibility of roping it to take the stalled project forward. 

Besides, the CRDA resolved to restore its original jurisdiction to 8,352.69 sq. km, which has been truncated to 6,993.24 sq. km by the YSR Congress Party (YSRCP) Government, and to bring back the 32 consultants, whose financing and design works were unfinished, out of total 47 consultants. 

Briefing media persons about the outcome of the CRDA meeting, Municipal Administration & Urban Development (MA&UD) Minister and CRDA Vice-Chairman P. Narayana said another important decision was to pay annuity and pensions to farmers, who have given lands for Amaravati, for five years more but at the current rates. 

Besides, the CRDA resolved to take back into its fold four capital villages that were merged with the Mangalagiri - Tadepalli Municipal Corporation, connect the seed access road and four trunk roads (E-5, E-11, E-13 and E-15) to the NH-16, and shape up Amaravati, Vijayawada, Guntur, Mangalagiri and Tadepalli into a mega city on the lines of Hyderabad - Secunderabad - Cyberabad over the next 25 to 50 years. 

Further, Mr. Narayana said the CRDA took the decision to have a total of six bridges constructed on the Krishna river, widen the Amaravati-Karakatta Road into four lanes by inviting fresh tenders, and expedite the Vijayawada western bypass road. It has also been decided to get 130 organisations/ institutions to construct their buildings in Amaravati at the earliest. The Members of Parliament would do the needful in the Central government.

As far as the controversial R-5 Zone was concerned, the CRDA put the onus of taking a decision on the Council of Ministers in view of the legal issues involved in it, Mr. Narayana said, adding that a conclusion on how to proceed with the stalled constructions would be taken on the basis of the recommendations of teams from IIT-Madras and IIT-Hyderabad which were currently visiting the capital city area. 

Ministers Payyavula Keshav (finance) and P. Narayana (MA&UD and CRDA Vice-Chairman), Chief Secretary Neerabh Kumar Prasad, Special Chief Secretary (MA&UD) Anil Kumar Singhal, Amaravati Development Corporation Chairperson & MD D. Lakshmi Parthasarathy Bhasker and CRDA Commissioner Katamneni Bhaskar were among those present in the CRDA meeting.