The Andhra Pradesh government is to send a high-level delegation of both ministers and bureaucrats to Singapore in the third week of this month, to study the infrastructure and other facilities needed to build a worldclass capital city for the state.
The Singapore government has invited AP government in this regard, said the state Urban Development Minister P Narayana in Hyderabad. The minister stated that as per estimation Rs 90,000 crore would be needed to build the state's capital. But to build a worldclass capital city, the cost would be Rs 1.5 lakh crore.
The state capital would be planned in such a way that it would meet the people's requirements in the next 100 years, Narayana said. The delegation would also visit and study other key cities in world and also within India after the Singapore visit, he added.
Experts from the state's Planning Department would be part of the delegation to study the construction of Singapore and its plans, the minister stated.
"Prime Minister Narendra Modi had assured us that the Centre would help the state in developing a capital better than our national capital Delhi. With prime minister supporting us we are confident that the Centre would cooperate with us and help in all respect in building our new capital," The New Indian Express quoted Narayana.
The state government has been mulling to construct 184km radius ring road across the new capital city, linking it with Vijayawada, Guntur and Tenali. The state government has indicated that the new capital city would come up near Amaravati, 31km to Guntur and 46km to Vijayawada. However, the government is yet to officially announce the venue for the new capital city.
The minister said that the state government has written to the Union government's Central Water Commission, requesting it to provide 30 tmcft of water to the proposed new capital city. Narayana said that the government has taken a decision to locate all government offices -secretariat, legislature, commissionerates, directorates of various departments and other administrative facilities at one place and in close proximity.
The centre has proposed 100 smart cities across the country. The AP government would request the Union government to allocate 12 smart cities to the state to see that urban development take place equitably in the state, Narayana said.
Anantapur should be made second capital city
Meanwhile, AP Minister for Civil Supplies Paritala Sunita on Wednesday suggested that Anantapur in the Rayalaseema drought belt should be made the second capital city of the state. The minister was in Kurnool to check 'Raithu Bazars' or farmer markets.
In India, there are a few states like Karnataka, Maharashtra which have second capitals for better administration purpose. Karanataka has Belgaum as its second capital city while Nagpur is Maharashtra's second capital. The states hold a part of sessions of their legislatures in their second capitals.
