: Setting the ball rolling for launching the construction works in the new capital Amaravati, the Andhra Pradesh government on Friday constituted a high-power committee to study the proposed Swiss Challenge method to be adopted for the selection of the master developer of the capital region.
The committee, to be headed by Finance Minister Yanamala Ramakrishnudu, will have Municipal Administration Minister P. Narayana, department’s principal secretary Ajay Jain, Finance secretary P.V. Ramesh, State Planning Council vice-chairman Kutumba Rao, Capital City Development and Management Corporation Chairman D. Lakshmi Parthasarathy, among others, as members. Capital Region Development Authority commissioner N. Srikanth will be the member-convenor of the high-level panel.
Deadline
The panel had been entrusted with the responsibility of identifying and resolving the issues relating to the original project proponent to take the proposal Swiss Challenge method compliant. The panel would study whether the scale and scope of the project was in line with the requirements of the State, whether sharing risk as proposed in the concessionaire agreement was in conformity with the risk-sharing framework proposed by the government for similar projects, whether the project was in conformity with the long-term objectives of the State government and other relevant issues like the AP Infrastructure Development Enabling Act.
The panel has been asked to hold discussions with the Singapore consortium of Ascendas – Singbridge and Sembcorp Development Ltd. The government had set a deadline of 15 days for the committee to submit its report along with recommendations for necessary further orders. It could conduct the proceedings from the joint capital, Hyderabad or Vijayawada in line with the requirements.
