Krishna river bank along Amaravati to be developed as Marina riverfront for tourism

THe Andhra Pradesh authorities on tues decided to acquire the Krishna riverside all on Amaravati as “Marina waterfront,” aiming for it to be a major tourism and leisure hub for the capital city.A decision to this effect was taken at the Andhra Pradesh capital region development authority meeting chaired by chief minister N Chandrababu Naidu at Amaravati.Speaking to reporters later, state municipal administration and urban development minister P Narayana said the chief minister had directed officials to develop the Krishna riverbank in the capital region as a Marina Waterfront.He said as part of the riverfront development, the APCRDA has agreed to allocate one acre of land on PPP mode for parking 60 boats at the Marina point along the Krishna River. “The chief minister instructed officials to invite tenders under the Public-Private Partnership (PPP) model for the construction of jetties, tourism leisure boats, food plazas, landscaping works and other waterfront amenities,” he said.Naidu also directed the authorities to prepare a comprehensive master plan for the Krishna riverfront, ensuring integration of water sports activities along with leisure and tourism infrastructure.“Emphasising his vision of developing Amaravati as a ‘blue-green city’, the chief minister suggested that internal canals should be constructed and beautified as part of the urban landscape,” the minister said.He noted that the new barrage proposed upstream of the Prakasam Barrage would strengthen water resources for the capital city.Another suggestion that came up for discussion at the APCRDA meeting was to explore the islands in the Krishna River for tourism development. “There is scope to create world-class waterfronts on both sides of the river,” he said.At the meeting, Naidu instructed officials to take steps to financially strengthen the Amaravati Development Corporation and APCRDA by studying revenue models and asset monetisation strategies to ensure sustainable income streams.He specifically asked them to study the Qatar model for developing large-scale projects such as an international Sports City.He also directed that all capital construction works be completed within the stipulated timelines, and noted that infrastructure and building construction activities in Amaravati are progressing at a rapid pace.The meeting decided to commence the land pooling in seven villages as part of the second phase of Amaravati to develop various projects, including smart industries, an international airport, railway track connectivity, an international sports city and an Inner Ring Road.The minister announced that the land pooling programme would be launched on Wednesday in Endrayi village of Pedakurapadu mandal and Vaddamanu village of Thullur mandal.He assured that basic infrastructure would be provided to these villages at the earliest, and that two-lane roads would be completed first. In total, 16,666.57 acres have been identified for land pooling.Narayana stated that while preparing the master plan, layouts for the Krishna River, Vijayawada–Chennai Highway and Outer Ring Road had already been incorporated. He said issues raised by farmers before the Three-Man Committee were also discussed and would be examined for resolution.The APCRDA approved extending the pension scheme meant for landless poor under the Land Pooling Scheme (LPS) to orphaned minors in the capital region.Under the new decision, children who have lost both parents will receive a monthly pension of ₹5,000.