Singapore to prepare master plan for AP capital

Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Nara Chandrababu Naidu, who was on a “capital building mission” to the island nation of Singapore from November 12 to 14, announced that the master plan for the 35,000 acre new capital to be built on the banks of the Krishna river near Guntur will be prepared by the Singapore government itself.

“They have not formally okayed our proposal yet as it has to be ratified by the Cabinet. Once the master plan is prepared then the AP government will announce its time bound action plan for the construction of the capital city,” Naidu told reporters at his residence here on Sunday. 

Naidu said that his government also offered Singapore to build 2,400 mw power stations near Krishnapatnam which will have forward linkages with special economic zones in which the AP government will also have stake through special purpose vehicles.

 “I met 200 business entities in Singapore and explained them that AP is ready to provide them excellent business opportunities in the public-private partnership mode,” Naidu said adding that building a capital on the lines of Singapore was his poll time promise.

Allaying fears about farmers of the two mandals in Guntur district rejecting the government’s land pooling proposal, Naidu said that pooling is the best way out compared to land acquisition as farmers will have no stake in the fruits of development after the capital is built.

 “I will try to meet farmers from Tuesday and convince them,” Naidu said. He blamed opposition parties for instilling fear in villagers. Naidu is also visiting Japan from November 23 for a week to explore possibilities to get assistance to build smart cities in the state including that of the new capital city.