Among the plans included in the master plan for Amaravathi, submitted by the Singapore government to the Andhra Pradesh government on Monday, is one pertaining to the river islands in the Krishna and its embankments. The plan shows the river forded at four places by new bridges. In that future city, these bridges will be used by salaried employees to commute to work in Amaravathi.
Tourist activity
Apart from that, the islands in the Krishna have been envisaged for construction of futuristic tourist and leisure activity. According to the master plan, some 1,000 hectares of island land will be set apart for what it calls ‘developable island area’. This is most likely where the promised tourist-friendly centres will come up, including island resorts, waterfront residences and theme parks such as the world famous Sentosa Island in Singapore.
However, tourism officials say that is too far in the future. For now, the islands will remain undeveloped, in some cases uninhabited, and flood-prone low-lying pieces of land.
Tourism officials at the helm have no clue about even the main components of the mega tourism projects the government has on its mind. One official even said he had not even been sent a copy of the master plan.
Some officials in the AP Tourism Development Corporation (APTDC) say the much-talked about mega plan to transform the picturesque Bhavani Island into a world-class tourist destination will finally start to move.
“Besides Bhavani Island, four other islands have been identified to be integrated into a comprehensive world-class tourist destination. But it will take some time before the APTDC comes into the picture,” says its Executive Director (Projects) Amarendra Kumar.
Real estate
Administration officials say there is no danger of the master plan triggering a feeding frenzy of real estate speculators. Krishna District Collector Babu A. rules out any such possibility.
“All those lands belong to the government and no real estate activity will be allowed in that area,” he clarifies.
The other major tourism-friendly aspect of the master plan talks of a grand circuit of religious destinations linking such as the Kanaka Durga temple in Vijayawada, Mangalagiri’s Panakala Lakshmi Narasimha temple, Amaravathi, the Ananta Padmanabha Swamy temple in Ananthavaram, Neerukonda, Undavalli caves and Kondapalli fort.
What is intriguing is why such a circuit could not have been developed already. The APTDC in the past offered a Pancharama tour package, timing it with the auspicious Karthika maasam. It took pilgrims to five Shiva temples in the region: Amaravati, Palakollu, Bhimavaram, Dhraksharamam and Samarlakota.
But when it did not evoke much excitement among pilgrims, the corporation tried to woo holiday-makers by designing a daily tour programme blending faith and amusement.
This comprised visits to the Mangalagiri temple and the local handloom bazaar, the Haailand theme park and back to the Krishna for a cruise ride with a dinner on board.
The master plan returns to make another attempt to enthuse pilgrims, drawing inspiration from the main value on which it is based. Its very vaastu orientation is to the energy-giving Kanaka Durga temple.
