The Hindu : Singapore construction firms for tie-up

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Thursday, Oct 10, 2002

Southern States

Southern States - Andhra Pradesh

Singapore construction firms for tie-up

By Our Special Correspondent

HYDERABAD OCT. 9. A visiting 29-member `Infrastructure Services Business Mission,' headed by the Singapore Minister of State for Ministry of National Development (MND), Vivian Balakrishnan, had on Wednesday a glimpse of opportunities that Andhra Pradesh can provide for Singapore construction companies at an interaction meeting where heads of several State Government Departments made presentations.

The potential opportunities that Singapore companies can tap were showcased by M.V.S. Prasad, Managing Director of the Andhra Pradesh Industrial Infrastructure Corporation (APIIC), J. Satyanarayana, Principal Secretary, Information Technology, Ramanachary, Managing Director of the Andhra Pradesh Housing Board (APHB), and Ramakrishna Reddy, Additional Secretary, R&B.

With eyes set on the potential offered by an estimated $63 billion Indian construction industry, the Mission comprising delegates from 22 companies, is currently on a visit to India with three main destinations — Mumbai, Hyderabad and Chennai — in that order, from October 6 to 12.

A joint statement issued by the Mission showed that it was interested in opportunities provided by projects such as the Visakhapatnam Special Economic Zone (SEZ), other specialised cities (like the Pharma City near Vizag), areas of urban planning and redevelopment, and affordable mass housing development.

Singapore companies have already made a beginning in Andhra Pradesh with CESMA International joining hands with the APHB to develop a township (under a joint venture agreement) at Pocharam, 18 km from here.

Another Singapore company, Ascendas Land, has joined hands with L&T Infocity to take up the third phase of the HITEC City project at Madhapur.The foundation for the `22.75 acre Ascendas IT Park'- which is being named `Cyber Oasis,' is scheduled to be laid by the Chief Minister, N. Chandrababu Naidu, here on Thursday, where the Singapore Minister will also be present. The joint statement said that over the past three years, India had become one of Singapore's top five destinations for export of construction services, and its companies secured projects in more than 15 Indian cities valued at over $56 million, by 2001.

Mr. Prasad, in his presentation said opportunities existed in projects like the SEZ, Hardware Park, Financial District, Pharma City, IT Park at Vizag, Gangavaram Port, Vizag Industrial Water Supply Project, and Integrated Convention Centre Complex at Manikonda Village proposed on 535 acres near Madhapur here.

Mr. Satyanarayana also focussed on the Andhra Pradesh State Information and Communication Network (APSICN) that will soon have a consultant who, in turn, will work for selection of a Consortium of Telecom Service Providers (CTSP) to provide a network across the State.

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