Naidu plans to develop 10 smart cities in AP

Andhra Pradesh chief minister N Chandrababu Naidu said that the land for the new capital in the Vijayawada-Guntur area would be acquired from private parties in the ratio of compensation for 60 per cent of the land and suitable land at an alternative place in lieu of the remaining 40 per cent.
Speaking to the media for the first time after he was sworn in as chief minister, Naidu said such an arrangement would be a win-win situation for both the government and the land owners as the latter can get a high price for the land given to them in view of the increase in prices near the emerging capital.
However, if the land acquisition becomes difficult even after such persuasion, the government may explore other areas to set up the capital, he said. Naidu also said the capital should be huge like Hyderabad, where administrative offices along with Assembly and secretariat can exist. He added that he has plans to develop many mega cities in AP as part of the decentralized development. “We must develop at least 10 smart cities in the state,“ he said, adding that he wanted the Centre to include these 10 smart cities among the 100 smart cities nationally .