With the bifurcation process having reached the final stages, all eyes are now on the future of Vijayawada and Guntur, which Union Urban Development Minister M. Venkaiah Naidu promises to develop as ‘twin cities’ on the lines of Hyderabad-Secunderabad.
More importantly, Vijayawada finds a place in the list of 100 ‘smart’ cities envisioned by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Here it is pertinent to mention that Vijayawada has been recognised as a Global City by McKinsey and Company with the year 2025 as the growth horizon.
A ‘smart’ city’s urban competitiveness is enhanced by advanced technologies including Information and Communication (ICT) and other means. “The city has the potential to become a Smart City over a period of 10-15 years and what is needed is sustainability,” says N. Sridharan, Director, School of Planning and Architecture, Vijayawada.
CII pitches inThe Vijayawada zone of the Confederation of Indian Industry had also projected Vijayawada-Guntur area as an ideal one for a new capital during an interaction with the Sivaramakrishnan Committee.
CII zone chairman V.V.M. Krishna says the Vijayawada-Guntur stretch has more weightage than Kurnool, Rajahmundry, Tirupati and Visakhapatnam. The CII, in 2013, had brought out a blueprint for development of Krishna, Guntur, Prakasam and West Godavari districts as an industrial corridor which it called ‘KGPG’.
VGTM-UDA Chairman V. Srinivasa Reddy points to the fact that Vijayawada-Guntur cities are just 30-km apart with well-established rail and road connectivity. “If the capital is set up in VGTM-UDA region, we welcome it. If not, Vijayawada and Guntur can be given top priority as cities of the future,” he says.
Land acquisition“Construction of a ring road and an outer ring road to gain access to the 2,000-3,000 acres of land available in the surrounding areas is the panacea. Construction of bridges on Krishna towards Guntur will make things easy. Land acquisition will be an uphill task. Unless farmers are made partners, it will be difficult,” says C.R. Prasad, secretary, Andhra Chamber of Commerce and Industry.
