Amaravati development: Master plan to come into force from February 2016

Hyderabad: The master plan for AP’s new capital city Amaravati will come into force from 1st February 2016. State government will issue draft notification on the master plan be-fore end of this month calling for objections from the public.

Singapore based Surbana Company has submitted a revised master plan to AP Capital Region Development Authority (CRDA) on Tues-day. Before issuing draft notification CRDA has to approve it.

For this, CRDA will me-et in the last week of th-is month. Municipal administration and ur-ban development minister P. Narayana told this newspaper that CRDA is likely to meet on 28th or 29th December.

There are chances of CRDA to meet before 28th December also. After CRDA approves the master plan, the go-vernment will issue dr-aft notification on masterplan of Amaravati the new capital of AP calling objections from the public. The government will give one mon-th’s time to the public to express their objectio-ns. After that the gover-nment will issue final notification on the master plan and from Feb-ruary of 2016 the master plan will come into effect.

Meanwhile CRDA has extended the submission the biddings for preparation of smart integrated infrastructure master plan and detailed project report for phase -1 infrastructure works for Amaravati capital city.

CRDA has issued notification on Request for  Proposals (RFP) for en-gagement of consultant for preparation of sma-rt  integrated infrastru-cture master plan and detailed project report for  capital city Amara-vati on December 4 and due date was fixed for  submission of bids on December 26.

Several bidders have requested to increase the bid submission date considering Christmas and New Year holidays. Subsequently, CRDA has extended the due date to January 11, 2016. In the meantime, the state government will also take up the process of selecting the master developer for the construction of Amaravati  capital city.

Singapore governme-nt has already submitted its proposals for Amaravati development partner. According to the wishes, Singapore government and AP government has amended the AP Infrastructure development enabling act relating land allotment.

NGT issues notices to AP, moef on Amaravati

Visakhapatnam: The National Green Tribunal issued not-ices Wednesday to the Union Ministry of En-vironment and Fores-ts and the AP Gove-rnment, asking them to file their responses to a petition challenging the environment clearance given at the state level for construction of the new capital, Amaravati.

Former secretary to Union Government E. A.S. Sarma, had filed the petition with the NGT, challenging the environmental clearance issued by the sta-te-level environment impact assessment authority (SEIAA).

NGT has posted the case for hearing on Feb 20. Sarma, in his petition, stated that the clearance was acc-orded without having a proper assessment of the environmental impact, especially in a radius of 10 km.

“There are fertile lands and water bodies in the capital construction area which are ecologically sensitive,” he argued.

“The Capital City Project area covers fe-rtile agricultural lan-ds, water bodies, wetlands,  floodplains, is-lands, hills and forest blocks which are ecologically sensitive. No  meaningful evaluati-on of the environmental impacts of the pr-oject has been attem-pted to  by the authorities, who issued the clearance in a hurry. Broadly, these are the grounds. Notices have been issued by NGT,” EAS Sarma told Deccan Chronicle.

In a letter to MoEF member secretary, As-hok Lavasa, in Nove-mber, Sarma said Am-aravati project could be treated as a Categ-ory A  project in view of the existence of ecologically sensitive wetlands within it.

The jurisdiction to appraise the project lies with Environment Assessment Committee (EAC) at the Centre and not with the SEIAA, he has argued.


 

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