Hunt on for suitable area for premier institutes

Visakhapatnam/Vizianagaram: The state government has accelerated its efforts for decentralised development and is zeroing in on the possible locations for setting up educational institutions and other infrastructure as promised by the Union government under the AP Reorganisation Act.

Municipal administration minister Narayana on Sunday took a quick tour of sites in Visakhapatnam and Vizianagaram districts that were proposed for setting up various institutions. The locations are likely to be finalised by chief minister N Chandrababu Naidu and submitted in a report to the Centre before August 15.

The state government has also proposed the setting up of a tribal university and a state university in Vizianagaram district apart from the construction of an airport.

Lands spreading across 500 acre to 1,500 acre have been identified to be available at Badangi and Bhogapuram for the development of an airport, apart from another land in Pachipenta mandal for tribal university. Efforts are on to identify about 100 acre near Vizianagaram for setting up the state university.

Speaking at Vizianagaram, Narayana said that the Centre had promised to establish 11 national educational institutions in the state and chief minister Chandrababu Naidu wants them to be distributed across the state.

'The government wants these institutions closer to the available airports so as to encourage students, faculty and experts from various sectors to visit these institutions. Hence, we are examining the possibility of establishing new airports in some districts in addition to the existing airports at Vizag, Vijayawada and Tirupati,' he said.

The government intends to develop airports at Vizianagaram, Kurnool and Anantapur apart from developing the Puttaparti airport into an international airport. Rural development minister Kimindi Mrunalini accompanied him in Vizianagaram district

Earlier, Narayana along with minister Ganta Srinivasa Rao, visited various lands identified for the purpose of setting up a IIIT and an IIM in Visakhapatnam. He inspected a 200-acre land identified for establishment of IIIT at Sujathanagar in Vizag.

Srinivasa Rao said that about `7,045 crore was required for establishment of various national educational institutions in the state and the state government had already released `125 crore for taking up preliminary works immediately after finalising the locations.

Besides Visakhapatnam, Vijayawada and Tirupati, the government would set up the national educational institutions proposed under the AP Reorganisation Act in Vizianagaram, Kurnool, Anantapur, East and West Godavari districts.