To entice the Chinese conglomerate Dalian Wanda to invest about 3 billion USD in the State, a company delegation led by its acquisition manager Mathew Abbott was taken on a whirlwind tour of prospective investment areas in two districts in the State Government’s helicopter on Friday. The team landed in the disused airstrip at Donakonda to examine the possibilities of promoting a world-class industrial park in Prakasam district apart from other ventures in the capital region of Amaravati.
Officials of the Andhra Pradesh Industrial Infrastructure Corporation (APIIC) accompanied the delegation to showcase the natural resources of the state, including the long coastline.
The company, which has interests in commercial property, luxury hotels, culture and tourism and retail, has been on a scouting mission covering Prakasam, Nellore and Chittoor this week.
The conglomerate had expressed its interest in investing in India to Prime Minister Narendra Modi during the latter's recent visit to Beijing. The present visit was meant to identify suitable places for industrial parks, infrastructure projects and hotels and resorts, said APIIC Managing Director K.V. Satyanarayana to The Hindu . “The Chinese delegation was impressed with the large tracts of land we showed to ,” he added.
After an aerial survey, the delegation examined over 8,000 acres of land in and around Donakonda and the villages of Rudrasamudram, Pochamakkalapalli, Bhumanapalli, Ragamukkalapalli and Indlachervu.
The State Government has identified over 20,000 acres in Donakonda for a Rs 5,000 crore industrial city to be build on a public-private partnership (PPP) basis, including a no-frills airport, connectivity to the Chennai-Kolkata highway and water supply from Nagarjunasagar.
The Dalian Wanda delegation also scouted Anantavaram in the capital region of Amaravati. Capital Region Development Authority (CRDA) officials showed them about 2,000 acres at Anantavaram, 1200 acres in the Nidamarru-Neerukonda area, and another 1,500s at Mallavalli, which is close to Hanuman Junction. The government reportedly told the delegation that only green industries would be allowed in the capital area, sources said.
According to highly placed sources, the Chinese firm evinced interest in investing $ 3 billion ($ 300 crore, approximately Rs. 18,000 crore) in the State. The delegation has already visited five northern states but is said to have been unimpressed with the land shown to them there.
Sensing an opportunity, the chief minister is said to have directed the Industries Department, Infrastructure Development Corporation of Andhra Pradesh (INCAP), and AP Capital Region Development Authority (CRDA) to roll out the red carpet to the delegation, including giving them a helicopter ride.
AP hopes to hook Chinese conglomerate Dalian Wanda into investing 3 billion USD in Prakasam, Amaravati, Nellore, Chittoor
