Singapore firms keen on developing Andhra's new capital Amaravathi

Singapore: Two of Singapore's township developers are likely to bid for projects to develop Andhra Pradesh's new capital city, Amaravathi.

Ascendas-Singbridge and Sembcorp Development have expressed interest in building the city project for which the master plan was submitted by Singapore to the Andhra Pradesh government on Monday.

The blueprint of the masterplan of Amaravathi city was designed by Singapore's Surbana Jurong. It sets out the land use and infrastructure plans for a 16.9 sq km start-up area within the total 7,000 sq km capital.

The blueprint of Phase-I covering 7,235 sq km was delivered to the government in March while the Phase-II for 125 sq km was delivered in May.

"We will study the master plan... when it is available, to identify areas where we could potentially participate in and contribute our expertise in urban development." Manohar Khiatani, Deputy Chief Executive of Ascendas-Singbridge, said.

"India has always been a key market for Ascendas-Singbridge and Andhra Pradesh is an exciting chance for the firm to deepen its presence in India," Khiatani said.

Sembcorp Development has invested in more than 3,300 MW of thermal and renewable power assets across seven Indian state, including Andhra Pradesh, said its chief executive Kelvin Teo.

The combined plans will cover Amaravathi's development till the year 2050.

S Iswaran, Singapore's second minister for trade and industry, presented the final of the three-phase master plan to Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu on Monday in Rajahmundry. The state government will now select a master developer.

Iswaran said the master plans have been completed on schedule and Singapore is keen to help the city implement it.

"This collaboration has also opened up more business and investment opportunities in Andhra Pradesh and India for Singapore companies," Iswaran said.

Involvement of Singapore in Amaravathi's development will help create business opportunities for local firms in areas such as manufacturing and logistics, he added.

The minister further added that the project also has a significance on bilateral ties as its an example of how Singapore can help India build sustainable smart cities.