Naidu invites Singapore PM for capital foundation fete

Lee Hsien Loong vows to share expertise and experience with AP, lauds CM efforts

Hyderabad: On the final day of his Singapore visit, Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu met Prime Minister of Singapore Lee Hsien Loong and congratulated him on his re-election.

During the meeting, Chief Minister thanked the Singapore Prime Minister for extending all the help from their side in making the master plan for Amaravati and submitting them as planned.

Further, the Chief Minister also told Loong that Singapore could extend help in building the state’s infrastructure and support Andhra Pradesh in making it a knowledge economy.

The Chief Minister then extended invitation to Singapore Prime Minister for the foundation stone-laying ceremony of Amaravati on October 22. Loong replied in the affirmative and said he would definitely try his best to make it to the ceremony.

Explaining how Andhra Pradesh has set its eyes on long-term development and growth, the Chief Minister told Loong that the government is planning to make the state a logistics hub. “We need your support,” he added.

Replying to the Chief Minister, the Prime Minister said that Singapore would support Andhra Pradesh and would share whatever expertise and experience it has.

When the Chief Minister informed Loong that the World Bank has ranked Andhra Pradesh 2nd in the country in ‘Ease of Doing Business’, Loong said that the ranking reflects how the state has made a difference within a short span.

Loong also lauded the Chief Minister’s efforts in pooling land for the capital. Following this, the Chief Minister explained the main features of Amaravati and how it would be constructed as a sustainable and smart city for future generations.

Earlier in the day, the Chief Minister and the AP delegation visited the Singapore city gallery and got insights into its key physical features such as residential, industrial, commercial areas, airbases, reservoirs etc., of the city.

They were explained about the planning for the civic district, Marina Bay and the planning for green and blue spaces, recreation spaces, island-wide water catchment, waste management, integration of land use plans with public transport networks and conservation planning.

Ministers Yanamala Ramakrishnudu, P Narayana, Advisor (Communications) Dr Parakala Prabhakar, Special Chief Secretary (Planning) S P Tucker, Principal Secretary to CM Satish Chandra, Principal Secretary (Finance) P V Ramesh and other senior officials were present.