Governor E.S.L. Narasimhan expressed confidence that the new Capital city of Andhra Pradesh, to be built at Thullur in Guntur District, would be a model for the entire country and perhaps be the best on the planet.
Participating in Republic Day celebrations at the Indira Gandhi Municipal Corporation Stadium here on Monday, Mr. Narasimhan said that besides entering into an agreement with the Government of Singapore for development of the Capital city, it embarked on a major programme of transforming Vijayawada, Visakhapatnam and Tirupati into mega cities and 13 cities into smart cities.
The Government has drawn roadmaps for targeted economic and industrial development of each district, he said and added that it would ensure that the farmland owners become willing partners in the development of the Capital and benefit from the enhanced economic opportunities.
Development of the State was essentially going to be port-led as the Government gave top priority to the string of seaports dotting the nearly 950-km coastline. Proximity to countries like Singapore, Malaysia and Indonesia gives A.P. an added advantage, he opined.
Mr. Narasimhan said that the Government had made significant progress in its ‘power for all’ mission by bringing the power deficit from about 22 million units to zero in just three months. It envisaged generation of 9,000 MW of solar and wind power and some major thermal and hydro power plants were in advanced stages of construction.
Polavaram by 2018
He termed the first and second phases of crop loan waiver schemes defining moments as no other State took up loan waiver of such magnitude.
On Polavaram the Governor said that the Government was keen on completing the Polavaram project by 2018 and it was committed to inter-basin transfer of the Krishna and Godavari rivers. With a plan to saturate micro-irrigation potential in Rayalaseema region, the Government aimed at making the State debt-free.
Earlier, Mr. Narasimhan and his wife Vimala were received by Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu, Deputy Chief Ministers K.E. Krishna Murthy and N. China Rajappa, Chief Secretary I.Y.R. Krishna Rao, Director General of Police J.V. Ramudu and other dignitaries.
