AP To Appoint Brand Ambassadors To Mobilise Funds For Amaravati

Now, tenders for Rs 24,276 crore worth of projects are being finalised, alongside Rs 45,000 crore already approved. Key developments include a 103-acre Assembly, a 42-acre High Court, five iconic towers, and major infrastructure like roads and a 183-km Outer Ring Road

With Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu's dream project Amaravati necessitating massive funds for its completion as a capital city due to hefty increase in raw material prices in the past five and half years, the TDP-led NDA government is exploring various options to raise the required resources.

While revival of NRI bonds remains one option, another is to seek liberal contributions from benevolent funds. One of the latest decisions is to appoint renowned persons and celebrities as brand ambassadors for a period of one year to showcase Amaravati as an emerging international city and hold programmes both in India and abroad and use extensively the social media to attract FDI into various sectors and contributions in various forms to make Naidu's dream project a grand success.

Naidu, during his erstwhile regime had implemented the Land Pooling Scheme to acquire lands from the riverfront area to an extent of 35,000 acres to build a futuristic capital after the bifurcation. His promise then was to allot 1,000 square yards of developed plot at the place of choice for every acre the farmers from the 29 villages gave up. After losing the elections in 2019, YSRCP government slowed down development of Amaravati by mooting trifurcation of the capital, which however could not be implemented due to farmers' protests and legal challenges.

After obtaining approval from the 43rd meeting of CRDA, tenders are being finalised for projects worth Rs 24,276 crore by the TDP-led NDA coalition. The jungle clearance work is almost over. This was preceded by approval of projects worth Rs 45,000 crore. Municipal Administration and Urban Development Minister P Narayana, who also held the same portfolios during his earlier stint from 2014-19, has been ensuring repeatedly that the first phase of Amaravati reconstruction will be over in three years.

The highlights of the capital construction work include a new Assembly building in an area of 103 acres with 1.12 million square feet at a height of 250 metres. People will be allowed to have a spectacular view of the capital from atop the building when the House is not in session.

AP High Court building will come up in 42 acres with 2.03 million sqft and height of 55 metres. While the court building will cost Rs 1048 crore, the building of the General Administration Department, the main administrative block of the State, will have 17 floors with 1.7 million sqft. Five iconic towers are coming up with 6.9 million sqft and investment of Rs 4,668 crore to house various offices. Infrastructure works like ring road, main road and bridges are taken up with an investment of Rs 8,000 crore. The government has also proposed a 183-km long Outer Ring Road (ORR).

The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs has already sanctioned Rs 2,245 crore for a 57-km railway line to Amaravati connecting it major metros like Hyderabad, Chennai and Kolkata.

“Once the projects get into an advanced stage of construction, the realty prices in the region, which had nosedived, are expected to go up steeply. Already there is buzz on investment opportunities," D Rambabu, CREDAI Vijayawada chapter chairman, told Bizz Buzz.