Vijayawada: The inaction of CRDA in addressing the applications of IT towers, which was signed in the Visakhapatnam Partnership Summit, has forced the promoters of those firms to wait for the mercy of the state government. Interestingly, the Non-Resident Telugu (NRT) Association’s proposal was considered under nomination basis and was even allotted 10 acres in the seed area for constructing 27 floors of IT towers.
The rest of the promoters were told that an RFP would be called. The promoters are trying to apprise IT minister Nara Lokesh of this anomaly.
Expressing interest to construct IT towers in the capital region, four firms — NRT Association, Shapoorji Pallonji, WTC and NRI Dasari Radhakrishna’s firm — had entered into MoUs with the CRDA during the summit in January in the presence of the CM.
However, CRDA director (economic development) Y. Nagi Reddy told this newspaper that no land allocation under either nomination basis or through RFP was done to any of these promoters, and added that the applications were still under process.
“I have no knowledge about the WTC proposal, but as per as Shapoorji Pallonji is concerned, they have signed an MoU and still it is under consideration,” Mr Nagi Reddy said.
Meanwhile, NRT’s mentor and renowned gastroenterologist Dr Ravikumar Vemuru, who was appointed as adviser to the government in 2015, has a different say on this subject.
He said the NRT society was given 10 acres of land in seed capital area on nomination basis to build multi-storied towers, exclusively meant for IT companies.
“We were given the land as per market prices only,” Dr Ravikumar said adding that the methodology and working modalities of the project would take a final shape within a couple of months.
“Around 5,000 IT jobs would be created once these towers are completed,” he said.
