Amaravati all set to create history; all eyes on Modi’s package for Andhra Pradesh
PM may announce financial package today; AP officials expecting 50,000-60,000 crore
Hyderabad: Ahead of the foundation day ceremony of Amaravati, all eyes are on the financial package prepared by Niti Ayog for Andhra Pradesh, which Prime Minister Narendra Modi is set to announce. Andhra Pradesh government officials are expecting that Mr Modi may announce a Rs 50,000 - 60,000-crore financial package other than some Infrastructure projects.
The Andhra Pradesh government has four demands: Special Category status to AP, a special financial package of about Rs 2 lakh crore, a separate railway zone for the state and some Infrastructure projects. On the directions of the Prime Minister, Niti Aayog had collected information relevant to AP from central and state government departments.
The AP government has estimated that it will need Rs 1,20,000 crore to build Amaravati over the next one and half decades. The essential infrastructure including Raj Bhavan, Secretariat, High Court, Assembly and Council, along with trunk infrastructure to be built over the next five years is estimated to cost around Rs 42,935 crore.
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The Centre had released Rs 1500 crore in the previous financial year while the state government had asked for Rs 4000 crore per year for the next five years.
The state government has also demanded incentives for industrial development of AP. It wants the Centre to grant 30 per cent capital subsidy and 100 pre cent central excise, income and service tax exemptions for 10 years.
Regarding railways, the AP government wants a new railway zone in Visakhapatnam, encompassing the four divisions of Vizag, Vijayawada, Guntur and Guntakal. The state government also wants ongoing railway line works such as Nandyala- Yerraguntla, Nadikudi- Srikalahasthi, Kotipalli- Narsapur, and Kadapa , Bangarupeta (Bengaluru), Kakinada , Pitapuram, Guntur- Guntakal and Gooty Dharmavaram to be completed. It has also requested the Centre to make some state highways as national highways.
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Nine facts about new capital city
1. Amaravati is the first capital city in the country to be built as per ancient architectural science streams such as India’s Vaasthu and China’s Feng Shui. Chief Minister N. Chandra-babu Naidu aims to promote a strong and independent identity by maintaining a critical distance i.e. “not so far and yet not so near” from the existing gro-wth centres. It also proposes a principle north-south cardinal axis for the civic core which is in-line with the Vastu city planning principles.
2. The various zones in the capital city comprises central business district, residential townships, institutions, pa-rks, water bodies, recreational spaces, water front etc. In line with the capital city, the Seed Capital Area is planned on transit-oriented development principles.
3.The capital region will comprise a core “seed capital area” of 16.9 sq km, which will house the government, business districts and about 3 lakh people; a bigger capital city spread over 217 sq km; and a capital region of over 8,030 sq km.
4. Being developed as a vibrant business hub, a total of about 7 lakh jobs are expected to be created in various sectors in next few years.
5. The Seed Capital conserves more than 40% of the green areas and the blue areas in the seed capital sprawl over 50% of the Seed Capital.
6.The Seed Capital Area master plan has provisions for waste ma-nagement systems that would enable innovative methods for waste collection, transportation, treatment and resource recovery, thereby creating a healthy city.
7. Special emphasis has been on development of extensive walkways interlinked with open and green spaces with a blue and green network of more than 25 kms to promote walk-to-work environment.
8. To provide and enhance mobility and accessibility to the citizens, the master plan provides a transport hierarchy that comprises an integrated network of metro rail network of about 12 kms, bus rapid transit of about 15 kms, downtown road of about 7 km, arterial roads and sub-arterial roads of about 26 kms and collector roads of about 53 kms, with varying broad right-of-ways.
9. The city is being planned on sustainable development principles. Extensive large open green spaces have been planned that shall add value to the urban ecosystem.