Work begins on Amaravati Welcome Gallery.

Amaravati Development Partners, the joint venture between Singapore Amaravati Investment Holdings (SAIH) and Amaravati Development Corporation, is set to commence development of the ‘Welcome Gallery’, an exhibition-cum-community centre in the Amaravati capital city Start-Up Area.

SAIH is a wholly-owned joint venture company of Ascendas-Singbridge Andhra Investment Holdings and Sembcorp Development India.

The Gallery plaque was unveiled by Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu and S Iswaran, Minister for Communications and Information & Minister-in-charge of Trade Relations, Singapore, in the presence of many farmers who gave up 33,000 acres for the capital city development project.

Spread over 2.6 hectares, the gallery will have a built-up area of 4,080 sq mt with the capacity to accommodate 2,000 to 3,000 visitors daily.

The Welcome Gallery will consist of a City Gallery, Exhibition Zone, Community Zone, Engagement Zone, as well as co-working spaces to house start-ups. Besides serving as a one-stop information centre for visitors, it will also be a focal point for companies to showcase their sustainable urban solutions concepts, as well as function as a business promotion platform hosting national and international events and exhibitions.

Designed for community and creative use, the welcome gallery will also feature lush greenery with an abundance of open spaces and will be accessible to local residents for recreation and community engagements.

The Gallery forms part of the larger Catalytic Development Area, and will play an integral role in generating activities in the area, which will spread across the entire Start-Up Area over time.

The 20-hectare Catalytic Development Area is developed as part of the Phase 1 development of the Start-Up Area, and will have 75,000 sq mt of office, residential and retail spaces. The Start-Up Area has a total development land area of 6.84 sq km, which will be developed in three phases over the next 20 years.

Fifteen companies and institutions from Germany, India, Japan, and Singapore have signed MoUs with ADP as partners in the areas of smart buildings, energy, and environment among others.

Naidu said, “Nearly Rs. 40,000 crore is being invested on trunk infrastructure for the capital. This is a landmark development and the construction of a greenfield capital is a unique opportunity and we will make it one of the best cities in the world with the help of Singapore, which has provided us designs for the capital development.”

Iswaran said Singapore and AP have built strong relationships and the development of catalytic part of the seed capital is a milestone.

Nina Yang, Chairperson of ADP, said: “Leveraging on Sembcorp and Ascendas-Singbridge Group’s network and extensive experience in development, we look forward to working closely with our partners to develop a functional exhibition-cum-community centre that is modern, smart and sustainable. This will bring Amaravati closer to its aim of becoming the world-class capital city of Andhra Pradesh, and a core region for business and talent.”

HBL