The Hindu : Andhra Pradesh / Hyderabad News : Ministers angry with Science City promoters

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Saturday, Aug 18, 2007
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Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh - Hyderabad

Ministers angry with Science City promoters

HYDERABAD: Irked by the delay in taking up Odyssey Science City in Anantapur district, Industries Minister J. Geetha Reddy and Agriculture Minister N. Raghuveera Reddy on Friday directed officials of Jurong Corporation to open its office in Kadiri within ten days and take up land acquisition.

The Ministers conveyed their displeasure to the Jurong India CEO Manukutla Rao and Springfield Land Corporation Managing Director Robert Bob Sharpless that even after eight months of signing of the MoU land acquisition work was not taken up. They directed the promoters to complete land acquisition within a month and start the project work.

The Government had signed the MoU in January with a consortium comprising Jurong India, Springfield Land Corp and Macquarie Bank (both from Australia) and Semb Corp Industries (Singapore) to take up the project in 65,000 acres with an investment of $25 billion in next 10 years.

The project envisaged a self-contained, hi-tech complex with its own comprehensive infrastructure, including power, expressways, telecom networks, desalination plants, biotech parks, special economic zones among other facilities. .

When the promoters told the ministers that the Deputy Prime Minister of Queensland would be coming to the State to lay the foundation stone for the project in December, Dr. Geetha Redy and Mr. Raghuveera Reddy questioned when the land acquisition would begin.

The representatives reportedly told them that a demographic survey was needed at the project site to identify the least populated villages before 2,500 acres of land was acquired.

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