N Chandrababu Naidu proposes decentralised development for Andhra Pradesh

HYDERABAD: While deciding to locate the capital city of Andhra Pradesh 'around Vijayawada', Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu has proposed to 'go for decentralised development of the state with three mega cities and 14 smart cities'.

Section 93 and the 13th Schedule of the AP Reorganisation Act promises certain educational institutions and infrastructure facilities to ensure balanced development of the successor state.

Naidu said in his statement placed on the floor of the Legislative Assembly yesterday that the state government has taken great care to ensure that these institutions and facilities are distributed evenly across different regions of the state.

The state government has identified lands and sent proposals to the Centre for approval of Agriculture University at Guntur, IIM at Visakhapatnam, IIIT at Kurnool, Tribal University at Vizianagaram, Central University and a satellite centre of AIIMS at Anantapur, NIT in West Godavari, AIIMS and NIDM at Vijayawada/Guntur, IISER and IIT at Tirupati and Petroleum University in East Godavari, the statement said.

In addition to these statutory commitments, the state government has prepared plans for the comprehensive economic development of Andhra Pradesh by making it a hub for manufacturing, knowledge-based activities, medical care and tourism, it added.

The centrepiece of the plans for the industrial development involves developing the entire Nellore-Vizag belt as part of the Vizag-Chennai Industrial Corridor (VCIC) and the Chittoor-Anantapur belt as part of the Chennai-Bangalore Industrial Corridor (CBIC).

In addition to the existing ports at Gangavaram, Kakinada, Krishnapatnam and Visakhapatnam, the state government proposes to develop ten more ports at Kakinada (second one), Machilipatnam, Dugarajapatnam, Bhavanapadu, Ramayapatnam, Meghavaram, Nakkapalli, Kalingapatnam, Bheemunipatnam and Narsapur.

The state government has prepared plans for the development of international airports at Visakhapatnam, Vijayawada and Tirupati.