HYDERABAD: Aiming to ensure that foreign investments in the Visakhapatnam-Chennai Industrial Corridor percolate down to various towns in Andhra Pradesh, the TDP government has decided to develop 200 roads linking the towns to the corridor. The roads will connect Rajahmundry, Kakinada, Nuziveedu, Vijayawada, Bhimavaram, Machilipatnam, Guntur, Ongole, Bapatla, Nellore, Gudur and Naidupeta to the industrial corridor.
The Vizag-Chennai corridor is being funded by the Asian Development Bank (ADB) which will provide 90% of the Rs 3,000 crore needed to develop the 200 roads. The state government is chipping in the remaining 10%. In the first phase, the construction of four-lane and six-lane roads to provide connectivity between ports, airports, railway stations, townships and bus stands will be taken up. According to the government, this will spur industrial activity around the four major port regions of Visakhapatnam, Kakinada, Machilipatnam and Krishnapatnam.
The corridor envisages half a dozen industrial townships with world-class infrastructure, road and rail connectivity for freight movement to and from ports. Apart from providing world-class logistics, it also aims to provide uninterrupted power supply, air connectivity and quality social infrastructure to attract new investments from south-east Asian countries, China and Japan.
“Most chief executives of companies who met chief minister Chandrababu Naidu during his trips to China and Japan evinced keen interest in setting up business units near Visakhapatnam, Krishnapatnam and Kakinada ports. We are developing the required infrastructure to make their business here an attractive proposition,” Ajay Jain, secretary, energy and infrastructure, told TOI.
The roads and buildings department has prepared the detailed project reports (DPRs) of the roads and tenders will be called after getting necessary permissions from the departments concerned and Indian railways. “The DPRs to develop these connecting roads are being finalised. We are also proposing Public-Private-Partnerships (PPP) to attract private investments in construction of roads,” B Sam Bob, special chief secretary of roads and buildings department, told TOI.
Aiming to boost the rural economy of Andhra Pradesh, the Vizag-Chennai corridor has planned several industrial, manufacturing, export and aqua clusters across the east coast at an estimated cost of Rs 6,500 crore in three phases. The massive project is expected to boost trade and commerce between south India and East Asia by enabling quicker movement of goods. According to sources, the state infrastructure department is engaged in securing more funds from the Centre based on the assurance of Union finance minister Arun Jaitley during his budget speech that the Centre will develop Kakinada port and also a hardware cluster in the region.
COURTESY : TOI
