Swiss challenge to Singapore and life challenge to people of AP

The Government of Andhra Pradesh received the Master Plan of seed capital from Singapore Trade and industry second Minister Mr.S. Eswaran & Team in Rajahmundry during Pushkarams. The plan comprises destinations and even minute details like convention centres, water parks, sports facilities along with important locations such as Assembly, Secretariat, Ministerial complexes. Another good news is that we may very soon get areas such as ‘downtown’, ‘up market’, ‘floating city’, ‘gambling bay’, ‘night life town’ under the Amaravathi seed capital area.

Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu praised Singapore team for the excellent visionary master plan and told them that they can submit proposals for capital development under Swiss challenge to commence work at the earliest. The CM also started whispering about relocating or removing villages to construct the new capital. First, it was Farmers who were asked to leave their lands, now it’s the turn of villagers to leave or abandon villages and houses to make way for the new capital. What they get in return is good jobs to reconstruct their own villages and houses under the Singapore company payrolls. Our construction labourers no longer need to go to Dubai, Kuwait or Malaysia to get employment. Our visionary chief minister is bringing those companies here to take your farms, houses and villages and make you labourers to reconstruct your own house and live for rent and at the same time you will be able to get employment for the next ten years. What a great idea sir ji.

What is this Swiss challenge? A Swiss challenge is an innovative idea for public purpose. An idea conceived by a company can be submitted as a proposal to the government and the same will be put in public for other prospective vendors for bidding. If there are no bidders who can submit a lower cost proposal in a more beneficial way, then the company who came up with the original idea will get the project construction approval. If any competitive bidder submits a lower proposal then the original bidder will be given a chance to meet competition or submit a much lower bid. If they can submit a lower proposal then the project will be awarded to the company that conceived the idea.

One thing that is beyond comprehension here is that capital building is not an innovative idea. Secondly, how can we consider a proposal designed by someone outside the country without a debate? If there is no competitive bidder do we have to succumb to a design and cost proposal which is not suited to us? Does this government ask any other construction company or government of other foreign nation to come up with such proposals for construction of capital? The Government of Andhra Pradesh may have to first constitute a committee comprising professionals and architects of our own country and make indicative requirements for our capital and then it should have called the proposals bettering the project internationally.

Opposition parties are simply staring at the Singapore plans but not even uttering one word against lavish donation of tax payers' money which may go for decades in the shape of toll, entrance, exit fee and people of AP becoming bonded labourers for Singapore companies.

By Raghu Bhushan Eranki

The Opinion expressed in this article are those of the author and do not reflect the views of the organisation