Google in city: Internet giant Google will be opening its permanent campus in Hyderabad and is set to sign an MoU with the Telangana State government to take up the venture. It will be the company’s third campus after the US and the UK.
TS goes global: The Telangana State government plans to hold a partnership summit in 2015, probably during March-April. The summit is intended to bring together heads of government, trade ministers, industry leaders and academics from 160 countries.
More water: The Telangana government will launch its '25,000-crore project to provide drinking water to every person in the state. The government will be launching its Mission Kakatiya, costing another Rs 25,000, to restore all irrigation tanks in a phased manner by removing silt and providing channels. Hyderabad will get an additional 262 million gallons of water a day with the commissioning of Krishna Phase III and Godavari Phase I water projects.
IIM in Vizag: IIM-Vizag may become a reality from the 2015 academic year. Efforts to set up the institution gained momentum with IIM-B being appointed as the mentor college. A high-level panel from the Centre has visited many sites and the state had allocated 400 acres of land in Anandapuram mandal.
More power: Of the two 800 mw units at Krishnapatnam, the date of commercial operations for the first one will be announced in January, while Unit 2 is expected to start generating by March 2015. The total 1,600 mw will be shared by AP and TS. In Lower Jurala, two units of 120 mw were test synchronised, but they were submerged due to a technical error. The units are expected to generate by April. At Hinduja (2 x 520 mw), the first unit will start generation by February and the second by May. The AP government also expects to begin work for the 2,500-mw solar park in the state and an addition of at least 500 mw of solar power in 2015.
CCTV watch: More than 94 locations in Vizag will be put under CCTV surveillance. The project, got delayed due to Cyclone Hudhud.
Joyride with city Metro: The Nagole-Mettuguda stretch of the Metro will begin operations from Ugadi. Test runs have been done and the trial runs begin from the New Year. N.V.S. Reddy, MD of Hyderabad Metro Rail, said, “We are looking to open for the public in March 2015.”
Clean Hussainsagar: In a bid to restore Hussainsagar to its past glory, the Telangana government has decided to empty the lake in the coming summer. Officials are planning to empty the tank by March and clean the debris so that it can be filled with fresh water in the rainy season. The government has sanctioned '100 crore for the purpose. An empty Hussainsagar would be an interesting sight in the first half of 2015.
Vinayaksagar: To protect Hussainsagar from pollution, the TS government has decided to construct Vinayaksagar in Indira Park, exclusively for immersion of Ganesh and Durga idols in 2015. If everything goes as planned, Hussainsagar may miss the euphoria during Ganesh immersion for the first time in nearly three decades.
AP offices to shift: The AP government’s administrative apparatus will shift to Vijayawada and Guntur. A committee has selected 17 HoDs to shift out of Hyderabad. Initially, the government will shift departments that have direct interactions with people, those dealing with welfare programmes, revenue and resource mobilisation, development-oriented works and those involved in strategic sectors such as transport, communication, essential services maintenance etc. Places like Nagarjuna University, market yards and some private accommodations have been identified to house the departments. Work is going on.
AP starts capital building: Kickstarting the process of building the capital of AP, including land pooling and laying the foundation stone, will be the biggest event in 2015. Companies from Singapore and Japan will be part of the massive exercise to build the riverfront capital.
New airport: A new and improved Vijayawada Airport at Gannavaram will be unveiled at around May 2015.
Godavari Pushkaralu: The Godavari Pushkaralu assumes significance as it will be conducted in Telangana for the first time, starting July 14, along with AP. This will give Telangana its chance to showcase the river flowing through the state. AP will spend Rs 935 crore to celebrate the pushkaralu at Rajahmundry, Kovvur and other areas along the Godavari districts, and TS, Rs 500 crore.
Telangana Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao has decided to invite President Pranab Mukherjee, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Governors and Chief Ministers of all states for the event. Around 2.5 crore people are likely to visit Godavari during the 12-day event. Sources say Mr Modi has in-principle agreed to inaugurate the mega event in Rajahmundry in AP. AP endowments minister P. Manikyala Rao said, financial clearance has been given for various proposed works.
Hidden cables: Work will begin on underground cabling in the coastal districts of AP. The damage caused by Cyclone Hudhud to electricity infrastructure has highlighted the importance and urgency to implement this major infrastructure project.
Smart villages: AP Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu will launch the smart villages programme. He wants to give each of the 16,000 villages to corporate giants, film personalities, non-resident Indians and others for adoption and development.
