Decks have been cleared for launching of work on the International Convention Centre at a cost of ₹700 crore on the APIIC grounds at Harbour Park here by LuLu International Shopping Mall Pvt. Ltd belonging to the UAE-based LuLu Group with the government issuing orders for allotment of 13.83 acres.
Naidu to lay stone
Construction will take 36 months. The project consists of exhibition halls, meeting halls, parking places, a five star hotel and a retail mall. It will be taken up in the PPP mode. Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu will lay the foundation stone during the three-day CII Partnership Summit-cum-Sunrise AP Investment Meet being held in the city from February 24 to 26.
A GO Ms. No. 5 dated February 16 issued by Principal Secretary Ajay Jain says the government will swap six parcels of land identified beside HSBC (Waltair ward), Chinawaltair, Kirlampudi layout, MVP Double Road, Resapuvanipalem and Lawson’s Bay for acquiring additional land from CMR Group.
Swap deal
The total area admeasuring 4.85 acres (23,473 square yards) will be given to CMR Group as part of land swap deal. CMR Group, according to the GO, has agreed to surrender 3.4 acres to facilitate the convention centre to have a beachfront entrance.
Besides 3.4 acres belonging to CMR Group which is part of a function hall, 9.2 acre originally identified for ICC project, the LuLu Group also sought a small parcel of land owned by APIIC in the vicinity. The APIIC grounds at Harbour Park is the venue for CII Partnership Summit-cum-Sunrise AP Investment Meet this year. Earlier, two editions of the prestigious event post bifurcation of the State were successfully conducted.
Infrastructure Corporation of AP (INCAP) had sought Request for Proposals (RFP) from reputed firms for selection of the developer for ICC on February 20, 2017. The GO says as per RFP there is a specific provision that if the lessee request the authority to provide additional land for the project, the authority may provide the lessee as per availability.
Negotiation panel
Following a request by LuLu Group, the government constituted a negotiation committee headed by District Collector Pravin Kumar to hold discussions with CMR Group and submit proposals to the government for providing its land to APIIC which in turn will give it on lease to the developer on the terms and conditions as per RFP. Mr. Chandrababu Naidu visited the LuLu Convention Centre and Mall in Kochi in November last along with a team of officials and expressed satisfaction over the facilities developed by the UAE-based firm.
