New capital: AP forms panel on master developer selection

Andhra Pradesh government today appointed a committee of bureaucrats to deal with issues relating to selection of the master developer for its proposed capital city in the Vijayawada region.
"The government has decided to select the job-creation and investment partners (master developer) for the development Seed Capital Area (SEA) as per the approved master plan through Swiss Challenge Method.
"As the proposals received by the government through this method need a careful scrutiny on various aspects as prescribed by Andhra Pradesh Infrastructure Development Enabling Act, 2001 (APIDEA 2001), the government has decided and hereby constitute an empowered committee of secretaries," stated a Government Order (GO) issued here today.

The panel comprises secretaries of departments of finance, energy and industries, while the principal secretary of municipal administration and urban development would be its convenor.
The committee shall ensure during the process of scrutiny that the "selected entity should have strong technical and financial credentials, the proposal submitted by the entity should be adequate technical detailing and value engineering in the proposal for consideration and that the proposal should be examined on financial aspect including revenue sharing among others," as per the GO.
The government has proposed to locate its capital in the Vijayawada region. It has acquired about 33,000 acres for development of the capital city, which has been named as Amaravati after the village in Guntur district with great historical, cultural and heritage significance.

The Singapore government agencies are preparing the plans for the development of capital free of cost, the government has said.