Singapore hands over capital city masterplan to AP government

The masterplan for Andhra Pradesh's capital city was handed over by Singapore's Second Minister for Trade and Industry S Iswaran to Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu here today.
Andhra Pradesh's capital city to be called Amaravati would be constructed on the banks of the Krishna river, between the cities of Vijayawada and Guntur.
Naidu thanked the Singapore government for helping the state by providing a masterplan for the proposed capital city.
"It is a 'green' plan, because of its emphasis on public transportation and not merely private transportation. It is green because it has considered forms of alternative transportation like cycling and other connectivity elements. It will set a new benchmark not just by Indian standards but by international standards," Iswaran said at a joint press conference with Naidu.

"The second point I would make is, it's also a 'blue' plan. It's a blue plan because you are blessed with very rich water resources and the idea is to take advantage of that in order to enhance amenities," he said.
The plan also envisages a great deal of economic activity evolving in the proposed city over the next "several decades", he said.

"So, it is not a plan that is to be executed in one, two, three, four, five years. It is a plan that envisages development over decades. We have to evolve according to the direction set by the government of Andhra Pradesh and the aspirations of the people," he said.

When asked about "vastu" aspects being considered by the plan, Naidu said, "We have been sensitive to the culture of Andhra Pradesh and religious sentiments attached to the river. Vastu compliance is a belief. Naturally, we have to follow that also. Nothing wrong in that. We have considered all aspects including best practices".
The plan has taken into consideration transportation requirements and environmental aspects, he said.
When asked about the cost for developing the capital, he said, "Nobody can calculate the cost but we can estimate the infrastructure needed through different models. We will take central government support."
Earlier, the Singapore government had submitted its masterplan for the Andhra Pradesh capital region.

The plan for the seed capital would be given in mid July.
Replying to a query, Naidu said his government would like to complete the project as soon as possible.