Chandrababu offering Singapore free lands as barter for expertise?

The cat is out of the bag now. After months of tom toming with high voltage publicity about his transparency and non-corrupt administration, Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu's decision to hand over CRDA lands to private developers led by international consortiums with Indian partners has come out in open.

The worst fears of People of Andhra Pradesh and those aired by Jana Sena chief Pawan Kalyan have come true at last. The Andhra Pradesh CM disclosed that a group of Japanese investors would develop the capital city with participation on PPP basis from builders across the world as per the designs prepared by the Singapore companies -Surabana and Jurong. The proposal placed before AP Government by Singapore will eventually benefit the Real Estate mafia more than the land owners in the bargain, it is revealed now.

The Singapore team led by Centre for Livable Cities executive director Khoo Teng Chye have given a presentation of the draft Master Plan. As per the proposal, Singapore companies have given the design which included parks, medians, assembly, CMO, Secretariat, High court etc. Most of them will be fabrications of fiberglass and glass arcades.

The companies will raise funds globally and construct the Core capital consisting of all the administrative buildings (including Assembly, Secretariat, Raj Bhavan, CM Camp Office, High Court, Residential Complexes for Govt Officials). In return, AP Government has to offer 10,000 acres in CRDA free as fee so that the Singapore companies will build residential, commercial and entertainment zones and lease them out.

The most shocking aspect is that Singapore sought the land near National Highways and Krishna River. That means the land near the water front villages of Undavalli, Penumaka and Bethampudi would be developed by Singapore companies as recreation joints - casinos, bars, spas etc on the land of AP farmers where they grew roses, jasmines, vegetables and coconut and at their cost.

While the Singapore companies make hay, the farmers of these lands have to live on doles given by the AP government. What a conniving strategy of Chandrababu Naidu in the name of development?