Capital will be blend of tech, innovation, culture: Naidu

Amaravati: Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu said that he was working towards building sustainable and green buildings in the new capital Amaravati. The capital city will be a new generation capital which will be a blend of technology, innovation and culture.

Naidu took part in a panel discussion on ‘Urbanisation – Water, Environment and Transport Management’ on the second day of his tour in Singapore. He said his objective was to make Amaravati the happiest city. “Ultimately, we want to make it the happiest city and one among the top 5 cities in the world,” he said.

The Chief Minister said that future is going to change in developing countries with emerging clean and renewable energy trends. He pointed out that generation of solar power helped in reducing the cost of power in AP from Rs 5 per unit to Rs 2 per unit.

He pointed out that 20 per cent of the power generated in AP is from renewable sources. “We are reducing our dependency on thermal and nuclear energies,“ he explained.

Naidu said the government will develop smart power grids which will automatically decrease the transportation losses. Naidu hailed NE Water of Singapore. He said, “NE Water is an excellent product in Singapore. I admire how the PM assured citizens about the quality of the product by drinking the first glass of treated water himself.”

He said Andhra Pradesh has been successful in implementing solid waste management. The government would now venture into liquid waste management. He said waste to growth is the motto and the government was focusing on conservation of resources through recycling.

He said AP government was striving to protect the nature by using clean energy like solar and wind energies. Switching to electric transportation would also help the State in controlling pollution to some extent, he added.

On the second day, the Chief Minister’s programme started in the MBS Convention & Exhibition Centre, in which he was first given a tour of City Solutions Singapore Exhibition led by Mr Khoo Teng Chye. This followed a visit to the Amaravati Pavilion and the Singapore Government Pavilion.

They looked at various exhibits in these tours, and the best practices in the expo, including Sports Singapore, public health, Sustainable Singapore, affordable public housing, designing sustainable habitats, innovation, water and sewerage infrastructure, financing and construction.

Naidu also looked at using space innovatively to manage increasing urban population and directed the delegates from the AP government to study the practices for appropriate modification and possible implementation in AP. He also asked the team to study innovation in Singapore in biodiversity maintenance practices.

The fellow participants in the panel were Kristalina Georgieva, CEO, The World Bank Group, Dr.Thani Al Zeyoudi, Minister of Climate Change and Environment, UAE, Steven Demetriou Chairman and CEO, Jacobs, and Bernard Charles, Vice-Chairman & CEO, Dassault Systémes.

The opening remarks for the session were made by the Guest-of-Honour, Tharman Shanmugaratnam, Deputy Prime Minister and Coordinating Minister for Economic and Social Policies, Singapore. The keynote address was delivered by Ranil Wickremesinghe, Prime Minister of Sri Lanka.

Georgieva, CEO of the World Bank, said that key ingredients for success of projects in water and environment sectors are to provide the right incentives to wisely use resources, and the alignment of priorities at all levels in governance and public, ensuring that all sections of society benefit from interventions.