5 2 REGIONAL CONTEXT ANALYSIS This chapter broadly reviews the regional context of . Capital Region’s locati on at the heart of Andhra Pradesh and proximity with the nearby big cies; seng the Capital Region’s intrinsic role as the new Gateway of East and also an access to all regions of Andhra Pradesh. Air, Rail, Road and water connec vity of the Capital region with the nearest landlocked ci es; give Capital Region the key advantage with trade poten al. To be a key player in the region, improvements to infrastructure will help Capital Region to realize its highest poten al. A study of the acvie s around the Region reveals the opportunity for the C apital Region to be a central node in the region.

This chapter covers the following topics broadly: 1 Upcoming Na onal Projects 2 Regional Advantage Post Bifurca on 3 Regional Connec vity 4 Analysis with respect to landcover, key ci es, environment and heritage 5 Constraints and Opportuni es

Workers loading bananas from the fi elds 2.1NATIONAL CONTEXT dedicated Freight Corridor along the 6 East Coast Economic Corridor which is 2.1.1UPCOMING NA expected to be func onal by the end TIONAL PROJECTS of the decade. The large agricultural produce and the many ports along the ›ƒÝ㠑ʃÝ㠛‘ÊÄÊî‘ ‘ÊÙÙ®—ÊÙ coastline; will facilitate in posi oning Andhra Pradesh as the gateway for The Government of India is developing Inland transac ons. Industrial Corridors across India as global and investment «®¦« Ý֛›— ك®½ des na ons. These corridors are expected to drive the manufacturing High Speed Rail Corpora on of growth in India within the next decade. India (HSRC) has plans to support These economic/Industrial corridors the golden quadrilateral corridors will result in new manufacturing ci es, with the proposed project ‘Diamond logis c hubs and residen al townships Quadrilateral of high speed rail with dedicated freight corridors. network’. The speeds for these trains is 300-350 km/hour; and connects the The proposed East Coast Economic four key ci es - Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai Corridor runs along the coast of Andhra and Kolkata. Pradesh (along NH5 (NH 16)); and The Kolkata Chennai network through the proposed Capital City passes through the Capital Region. Region. This corridor not just connects This reinforces faster and quicker indian economic clusters but also helps connec ons to key ci es in the country. unlock the poten al of Mekong countries by removing constraints and bo lenecks to growth. Currently Asian Nƒã®Êă½ óƒã›ÙóƒùÝ Development Bank (ADB) is carrying out analy cal work on this corridor. The Indland Waterways Authority of The fi rst phase is envisioned from India has proposals for development to Chennai. Many and regula on of Inland Waterways smart Industrial ci es and Investment for shipping and naviga on. Na onal Regions are in pipeline in this region. waterway 4 with a length of 1095km is currently under development. Fig.2.1 illustrates the Proposed Na oanl Projects that impact the development This inland waterway plays a crucial role in the Capital Region Area. in transpor ng the agricultural produce, fer lizers, mber and paper products —›—®‘ƒã›— ¥Ù›®¦«ã ‘ÊÙÙ®—ÊÙ from Guntur and Districts to the ci es along the Waterway from Dedicated Freight Corridor Corpora on Kakinada in the north to Chennai and Fig.2.1Proposed Transport and Infrastructure projects in India, Source - DFCCIL, HSRC, of India Ltd. (DFCCIL) has plans for a Pondicherry in the South.

2.2ANDHRA PRADESH India’ supported by major irriga on projects. STATE It is home to various global and 7 na onal Pharmaceu cal companies. 2.2.1BIFURCATION The state has huge oil and natural gas reserves. Post bifurca on of erstwhile United It is a leading exporter of marine Andhra Pradesh into Telangana and Products, Agri and Processed Foods Andhra Pradesh; the challenge for The state government is planning Andhra Pradesh is to create a new to set up Informa on Technology capital in ten years me. Not just a Investment Regions (ITIR) in capital city, the new state will now Visakhapatnam, Anantapur and have to maximise it’s poten al to Chi oor districts. establish itself as a ‘growth centre’. It has emerged as a Tex le processing For this to happen Andhra Pradesh centre in the recent years. will need to relook at it’s policies and zones earmarked for crea ng industrial and IT clusters to let these enterprises The state is in the process of se ng fl ourish. up two Na onal Investment and Manufacturing Zones in Chi oor and 2.2.2 Prakasam districts. The upcoming PCPIR in the region is expected to boost refi ning, petrochemicals and This sec on gives a very brief snapshot chemical industries. of the the economic and infrastructure The state is planning smart ci es advantage Andhra Pradesh has over development and suppor ng Telangana Region. Detailed Economic this ini a ve with University and and Infrastructure studies are explained Ins tu on development. in the following chapters. A few key advantages1 for Andhra Pradesh are as highlighted in Fig.2.2 and listed below. Religious places and a long 973 km coastline makes Andhra Pradesh an ideal place as a holiday des na on. The state has well distributed and established economic generators func oning as Regional hubs. The Today, Andhra Pradesh has three key hubs are Visakhapatnam, infrastructure surplus with state-of- and Tirupa . the-art seaports at Krishnapatnam, It is a leading Agricultural State; Kakinada and Visakhapatnam, four also known as the ‘Rice bowl of airports at Tirupa , Vijayawada, and Visakhapatnam; Fig.2.2Andhra Pradesh - Post bifurca on Advantage Source- India1 Brand Equity Founda on Aug 2014; and well distributed Industrial Parks. Andhra Pradesh Sta s cal Abstract - May 2014

2.2.3

8 ½Ê‘ƒã®ÊÄ ‘ÊÄě‘ã®ò®ãù

India’s key economy genera ng ci es With respect to connec vity the new namely Chennai, Bangalore, , Capital Region is very well connected Visakhapatnam and Jagdalpur all lie through rail, road and air to key within a radius of 300-400 km. Proximity economic powerhouses in the region. and new opportuni es off ered with regard to the new capital city will a ract The Capital Region is served by skilled and talented human resources Domes c Airport. There from these ci es. are plans to upgrade Gannavaram to Interna onal Airport. There are 4 Andhra Pradesh has a long coastline Interna onal Airports in the nearby with two of the country’s biggest ports periphery and the nearest one is Visakhapatnam and Chennai (Tamil Hyderabad Interna onal Airport. Nadu) located in the northern end and southern end respec vely. The Andhra Pradesh currently has one Capital Region with it’s new port at major Port at Visakhapatnam . Other Machilipatnam lies right in the centre than Visakhapatnam, the state has fi ve of the state. has a more opera onal ports, seven ports great poten al for inland trade centre for are under development and three are hinterland ci es including Hyderabad. proposed to be developed. With three ports under development near Capital Not just in the region, the Capital Region region, many jobs open up in the lies centrally along the whole of the region. eastern coast; opening room to establish itself as the new ‘E G’ NH 5, NH7, NH18 and NH9 run across I. the state and connect it to other key ci es in the country. A direct connec on with Bangalore city could however boost the region’s trade further. The alignment of the proposed East Coast Economic corridor is s ll under study.

The state is well connected through the rail network connec ng all thirteen districts. The government also has planned to set up a high speed train between Hyderabad and the new capital city to ease traffi c movement between the two states. Fig.2.3Centrally located Capital Region Fig.2.4Andhra Pradesh - Key Transport Connec ons

2.3CAPITAL REGION undertakes the construc on of the new capital region development 2.3.1APCRDA ACT area,undertaking the construc on of 9 the new capital and managing and The Andhra Pradesh Capital Region supervising urban services in the new Development Authority Act (APCRDA), capital. 2014 has come into force on 30 December, 2014. The Act declares 2.3.2CAPITAL REGION the provision of New Capital Area for the state of Andhra Pradesh and The Capital Region Area is erstwhile establishment of a development VGTM (Vijayawada-Guntur-Tenali- authority for the purpose of Planning, ) plus se lements coordina on, execu on, supervision, approximately within 50km radius The fi nancing, funding and for promo ng Capital Region encompasses a total and securing the planned development area of 8,603 .32 sq km including hills of the Capital Region. It further and forests and is spread in both Krishna and Guntur districts. LEGEND It covers 26 full mandals in Guntur district and 30 full mandals in .

Table 2.1 illustrates the Mandal boundaries in the Capital Region.

Fig.2.5Capital Region with Mandal Boundaries and Capital City Boundary Fig.2.6Capital Region Boundary within Krishna and Guntur District Table 2.1Capital Region Mandals in Guntur and Krishna District

CƒÖ®ãƒ½ R›¦®ÊÄ MƒÄ—ƒ½Ý -GçÄãçÙ —®ÝãÙ®‘ã CƒÖ®ãƒ½ R›¦®ÊÄ MƒÄ—ƒ½Ý -Kٮݫ㠗®ÝãÙ®‘ã 2.3.3CAPITALCITY

10 The locaon chosen for the Capital

City is in the vicinity of Vijayawada and

20 km from Guntur.It falls in Thullur,

Mangalagiri,Tadepalli mandals of

Guntur District with an area of 217.23 Sq. kms

Please refer to Fig.2 .5 for Capital City locaon within Capital Region.

Fig..2.7Plantaons at Thullur Mandal

Total Population of APCR –58,73,588, Area - 8,603.32 Sq. Kms

2.3.4DEVELOPMENT HISTORY and sectorwise issues and solu ons. The Government of Andhra Pradesh 11 cons tuted the VGTM Urban Vision1 for the Key Urban Centres is as Development Authority in 1978 under follows: A.P. Urban Areas (Devt.) Act of 1975 for a development Area of 1665 sq.kms. Vision for Vijayawada City This development area cons ted ‘A naƟ onal level transport node; Sub the four fast growing urban areas naƟ onal commercial and service center; of Vijayawada, Guntur, Tenali and Tourism and cultural heritage center; Mangalagiri and 150 villages around An educaƟ onal, professional and these towns falling in both Krishna and knowledge hub - as a Knowledge city’ Guntur Districts. Vision for Guntur City The boundary was later extended to ‘Vision I - InternaƟ onal Trade and 1955 sq.kms. in the year 1988 due Commerce and industrial hub; and to rapid urbaniza on. The expanded center of educaƟ onal insƟ tutes of development area then cons tuted 30 world order, and providing good living lakh popula on; extending in 39 more environment to its surrounding areas’ Villages. A masterplan was prepared as ‘Vision II - Guntur as regional service an outline development plan. Centre for neighbouring towns and villages by providing world class ZÊă½ D›ò›½ÊÖÛÄã P½ƒÄÝ infrastructure and maintaining clean environment’ In 2006, Andhra Pradesh Government prepared Zonal Development Plans Vision for Mangalagiri Town LAND COVER DISTRIBUTION IN VGTM BOUNDARY for the en re VGTM area of 1954.61 ‘Growth point with small and medium sq.km. The plans came into opera on scale secondary sectors in regional raw in 2007. materials while conserving the heritage and historical value unique to the town’ The Zonal Development Plans cons tute the proposed Land Use The proposals from the Zonal Plans and Zoning Regula ons for all Development Plans are integrated zones; based on projec ons for the in the Capital Regioan Strategy Plan. year 2021. The main aspects taken However, with the development of into considera on are demographic, the Capital City within the VGTM economic and Environmental profi le, boundary; these proposals need to Land Use Pa ern, Economic and be reconsidered to accommodate the Social Infrastructure, traffi c and new developments, infrastructure and transporta on, Urban Governance, the excess popula on migra on from Municipal Finance, Heritage and surrounding regions. 1 Zonal Development Plans, VGTM Fig.2.8VGTM_ Zonal Development Plan- Proposed Land Use Plan for Year 2021. UDA- 2007 2.3.5EXISTING SITE CONTEXT Ko uru and other small hills. The forest cover near the urban Existing Land Cover 12 Areas is deple ng rapidly due to Exsting Land Cover for 8603.32 Sq. Km encroachments. area is given in Table 2.2. When A sizable 81% of the land is under comparing the proposed Land Use Plan agricultural use, which off ers for the then VGTM for 2021 against tremendous opportuni es for high the exis ng Land Use Plan of 2014 to value agro based economy. see the extent of achievement of the The region has some Industrial Base former plan, it is observed that the but mostly in the primary sector. It Urbaniza on outside Vijayawada and is sca ered near Ibrahimpatnam, Guntur has not taken place, while Vijayawada, Guntur. Quarrying density within the ci es con nued to ac vi es are found near 1 go up at a fast rate . and Kondaveedu Forest. Only 7% of the Capital Region area Most of the Capital Region land is classifi ed under forest and water in Krishna District is occupied by bodies. Most of the forest cover is hills , forests and prime agriculture over the Kondaveedu, Kondapalli, land (more than two seasons) that needs to be protected. This directs

urbaniza on and future expansion Table 2.2Exis ng Land Cover towards Guntur District.

S.NÊ.LƒÄ— Uݛ LƒÄ— CÊò›Ù Aٛƒ (Hƒ)% 1 Agriculture -Aquaculture,Crop Land, Fallow and 696,095 80.91 Planta on 2 Built Up _Industrial and Mining 5,764 0.67 3 Built Up_ Rural and Urban 53,082 6.17 4 Forest _Deciduous, Forest Plantaon, Scrub Forest 35,704 4.15 and Tree Clad area 5 Wasteland_Barren and Scrubland 12,475 1.45 6 Water bodies-Canal/Drain/Reservoir/Tanks 57,126 6.64 7 Wetlands-Inland Natural 86 0.01 Total 860,332 100.00

LEGEND

Fig.2.9Capital Region _ Existing Land Cover

2.3.6 A higher percentage of se lements especially medium sized towns like As per URDPFI guidelines the exis ng Gudivada, Tenali and Ponnur are 13 hierarchy of se lements within Capital located in the Delta Region. region is as follows- The Capital Region clearly shows 1 Metropolitan – Vijayawada linear development along the 1 Large City – Guntur transport corrdiors with key nodes. 9 Medium Towns - Tenali, Gudivada, The gross density of the capital Mangalagiri, Tadepalli, Ponnur, Region is 683 p/sq.km. However the Nuzvid, Saenapalle, Kannuru, gross urban density for Vijayawada Jaggayyapet is around 18,000 p/sq.km. which is 953 Small Towns and Villages above the desirable norm. Vijayawada ‘s urban agglomera on Fig.2.10 illustrates the development already reached it’s projected trend in the Capital Region. The popula on of 16.4 lakh by the year following are some key observa ons: 2021 in just 7 years (Year 2014) . With a large industrial and Commercial Such density, if compared with other base, the popula on of Vijayawada City highly populated Asian ci es such has increased rapidly. This popula on as Seoul and Singapore, stands out is absorbed by the neighbouring suburbs excep onally. To slow down the like Gollapudi and Tadepalli which have seemingly unstoppable densifi ca on grown into medium sized settlements / of the urban area due to the imminent towns. popula on increase, alterna ve Areas near Guntur City have also decentraliza on strategies will have grown into Small towns. to be explored and enforced.

Table 2.3Development Density in Key Ci es/Towns Source - Census 2011

City/Town Area Popula on density (p/sq.km.) Vijayawada (Urban) 56.70 1,048,240 18,908

Guntur 45.71 651,382 11,201

Tenali 15.11 164,649 10,258 Mangalagiri 10.49 0.087 8,294

LEGEND

Fig.2.10Capital Region_ Exis ng Se lement Hierarchy 2.4KEY CITIES, TOWNS AND VILLAGES IN CAPITAL REGION

14

Prakasam Barrage at Vijayawada Chili Yard at Guntur College at Tenali Mangalagiri temple

V®¹ƒùƒóƒ—ƒ is the largest city in the Capital Region; GçÄãçÙ is the second largest city in the region. It T›Äƒ½® is the third largest city; important MƒÄ¦ƒ½ƒ¦®Ù® is an important pilgrimage It is a Commercial and a trading hub, Tourist serves as a marke ng centre for chillies, tobacco commercial and Transport Centre in the region. centre, popular for handloom weaving units and Des na on, Transport Node and an Educa on and co on and an important educa onal centre. Marke ng Centre for agricultural products from agriculture. The town is strategically located Hub. The popula on has increased by 3 mes in The City is also popular for its processing industries its rich agricultural hinterland; export Centre for between the three biggest ci es in the region. the last three decades partly due to the rise in for rice pulses and oil seeds. Tourism and industrial paddy and rice and is popular for its Mills, dairy Popula on expected to be 0.22 mi from the current migrant popula on from rural areas. estates are other major economy. and processing factories. 0.1 mi by the year 2021.

NTR Stadium at Gudivada Sri Ayyapaswamy temple at Gollapudi at Tadepalle Island Centre at Ponnur

G痮òƒ—ƒ, also called the temple town is the Gʽ½ƒÖ痮 is perceived as the gateway of Vijayawada Tƒ—›Öƒ½½› is a leading supplier of vegetables, fruits PÊÄÄçÙ town is the headquarters of Ponnur mandal headquarters with more than 100,000 city due to its close proximity. It is located along and farm products to Vijayawada. Three villages - mandal, situated on Guntur-Chirala State Highway. inhabitants. It lies as a junc on for Vijayawada, NH16 (NH 5) with Industrial base at Rayanapadu. Undavalli, Penumaka and Kolanakonda are famous The town is famous for Sri Sakshi Bhavanarayana Machilipatnam, Nuzvid and Eluru. Gudivada is Great Poten al to absorb demographic and for historical importance. Development pressure Swamy Temple and Sri Sahasralingeswara Swamy popular for its Buddhist Stupas, jain Relics and economic pressures of Vijayawada city. leading to many development layouts both Temple. Thousands of people arrive to watch the . The town has fer le agricultural approved and unapproved; loss of river bank. annual fes val at Sri Sakshi Bhavanarayana Swamy lands for paddy cul va on. Temple.

15

Mangoes being loaded into rakes at Nuzvid railway sta on ZP High School at Sa enapalle Vishwa shan Public School at Vuyyuru Agricultural Fields near

Nçþò®— is historic fort City; It is well known for Sƒãã›ÄƒÖƒ½½› is a town 35km away from Guntur. It VçùùçÙç town has very fer le lands and the NƒÄ—®¦ƒÃƒ is 48 km north of Vijayawada; is its mangoes, which are exported world wide. is slowly developing as a business hub. Two mini economy is majorly agriculture based. It is served famous for the temples which had a great history Agriculture is the main economy of the area. Hydel power projects and a mini thermal power by good irriga on system. KCP sugar factory is for years. The river Muneru fl ows in the outer part With respect to industries, few seasonal mango plant are being set up in the area. There are many considered the country’s biggest and best; is of the village with agriculture fi elds around it. pulp canning factories are located here. It is an schools and colleges in this town. located here. The town is known for its educa onal Many IT professionals come from this town. Educa onal Centre for the neighbouring areas ins tutes and temples. with many Public Schools and IIIT Campus.

Sri Kotilingala temple in M uktyala village near Kondapalli Toys made out of wood from Kondapalli Forest Domes c Airport at Gannavaram World famous Buddhist Stupa at Amaravathi

KÊė›Öƒ½½®- located 20kms from Vijayawada, is a At GƒÄăòƒÙƒÃ, an world war II Army airfi eld AÃكòƒã«® is historic town with great touris c Jaggayyapeta town is located on the banks of the popular tourist des na on for its reserve forest, was converted into civilian airport in 2003; rapid signifi cance; from being a capital city in the past Paleru River which is a tributary of the Krishna fort and toys. It is also the heavy Industries suburb sporadic growth took place since 2011 a er the to its temples, buddhist Stupas, Ancient Art river. Cement Industry is famous in the Mandal. of Vijayawada with bo ling , oil storage and power airport services expanded. Tremendous pressure and Amaravathi School. The town is a center of The M ango orchards with Banginapalli, Totapuri plants. BG railway line caters to both passenger with the new airport expansion to interna onal pilgrimage to both and Buddhists, a racts varieties are even exported to foreign countries. and goods transporta on. status. visitors throughout the year. 2.4.1ENVIRONMENT ¥ÊٛÝãÙù ƒÄ— ®Ê—®ò›ÙÝ®ãù

16 Capital region is bound by a number of Most of the hills are primarily reserved natural features mainly the Forest areas spread in Nandigama, and its rivulets, Kondapalle, Ko uru, Vijayawada, Nuzvid , Gannavaram and Mangalagiri and Tadepalle Reserve Yedlapadu. The region has a forest Forest and hills. cover of around 30,500 hectares.The world famous Kondapalli toys are «®½½Ý ¥ÊٛÝãÝ manufactured from a light wood called ‘Ponuku’ found in Kondapalli hills. Krishna District is divided into upland Prominant trees in these forests are and delta zones; the delta region off ers pterocarpus, Terminalia, Anogeissus fer le land for agriculture towards the and Logustroeinai and Casuarina. coastline. The uplands consist of the Kondapalli Forest is also famous for Kondapalli hill range that runs between its medicinal plants used by the ethnic Nandigama and Vijayawada with a people. length of about 24 km. Other hills of some historic importance and religious associa on are Jammalavoidurgam, and Indrakiladri hills.

In Guntur District the Nallamalai hill ranges that form part of the Eastern ; lie in the western part of the district . The famous Ethipothala water falls are located in these ranges, near Macherla. Kondaveedu and Venkatayapalem ranges are prominant hills in the Capital Region. Few small to medium sized hills like the pedamadduru, Nidumukkala hill forest and Mangalagiri surround the capital city off ering good scenic views of the region. Gu konda, Mangalagiri Undavalli are hills of religious Fig.2.11Capital Region_ Forests and Bio Diversity signifi cance.

17

Fly Ash Pond near Kondapalli Hill at Trilochanapuram WATER RESOURCES The capital city area has abundant water supply. In certain areas, 18 The coastal belt consists of fer le plains groundwater is available at about 30- in the Krishna delta region. Krishna is 50 feet depending on the season. the major perennial river dividing the two districts. It fl ows through rela vely Key Issues fl at terrain and carries a substan al amount of sediment during the Sand is quarried from Krishna and monsoon season. It turns sharply south- Muneru River for construc on eastwards and joins the sea 80 km purposes. away from Vijayawada, at Hamsaladivi With the absence of drainage and Nachugunta in Krishna district. system in villages; the villages are Muneru, Budameru, Guntur Channel, characterized with uncared open Guntur Branch Canal are other smaller drains and waste is dumped into rivulets in the Capital Region. them with later join the river network The canals traversing through ci es Capital Region has three major basins. are dumped with soild waste, people The Central Krishna Basin, basin formed wash clothes alongside and defecate by rivers between Krishna and Godavari in the canals; resul ng in polluted and third sub basin from rivers between water system. Krishna and Pennar river.

Around 50,000 hectares of area is covered in canals, reservoirs, tanks and rivers that irrigate almost 580,000 hectares of Agricultural Land.

Fig.2.12Capital Region_Water Resouces

19

River Krishna ; looking towards Kondapalli Hill 2.4.2 ăãçك½ ½ƒÄ—Ý‘ƒÖ›Ý

20 Krishna and Guntur districts off er a Forests Reserve, Krishna Waterfront lot of sites of heritage and cultural and the islands within the river off er a signifi cance. The culture of Krishna great poten al for tourism within the district is mostly tradi onal in rural Capital Region. The Andhra Pradesh places and moderately modern in Tourism Board has many new tourism Vijayawada. It is also famous as the projects planned within the Capital birthplace for region; However most of these projects named . Guntur District has are stalled. A few are listed below: dams and waterfalls along Krishna Mega tourism circuit at Kondapalli River in the nallamalla ranges and and Ibrahimpatnam many Buddist and Hindu temples.Most Water Sports facili es at Bhavani of these key heritage and cultural des Island nati ons fall in the Capital Region. Proposed ropeway project from Kanaka temple atop «›Ù®ãƒ¦› ¥›ƒãçÙ›Ý Indrakeeladri and a designated place near Seetammavari Padalu Key temples in the Capital Region are - In Guntur District - Sri Agasteswara LEGEND Temple, Sree Ramanamma 1. Kshethram - Maravathi heritage 2. place, Nallapadu temples, Lam, 3. Mangalagiri 4. Nallapadu Pedakakani (malleshwaraswami 5. Srikakulam temple,) Pondugula and Undavalli 6. Mopidevi 7. Vedadri Caves, Pothuru Village (ankireddy 8. Pedakallupalli palem Zone) 9. Panduranga Swamy Temple 10. Sri Tirupatama In Krishna District - The district Heritage authority has planned a temple 1. Kodapalli Fort 2. Gandhi Hill tourism circuit star ng from 3. Mogalrajapuram Caves 4. Movva Hamsaladeevi near the confl uence of 5. Ghantasala the river and the Sea and connec ng 6. Challapalli Fort 7. Kondaveedu Sri Ramalingeswara Swamy temple 8. Bhattiprolu Nature and Kalakshetram at Kuchipudi, 1. Sri Venugoplaswamy temple at Movva, Sri Maha temple at Srikakulam, and Buddhist sthupa at Ghanatasala, Challapalli kota, Sri Fig.2.13Capital Region_Heritage and Tourism Subrahmanyeswara swamy temple at Mopidevi, Sri Durganageswara swamy temple at Pedakallepalli, and Sri Venugopala swamy temple at Hamsaladeevi.

There are a few other important tourism places ou sde the Capital Region that a ract a lot of tourists. 21 , is one of the largest fresh water lakes in India is 70 km away from Vijayawada. Many birds such as Siberian crane, ibis, and painted storks migrate here in winter. It is also a major des na on Kondapalli Fort Kanaka Durga Temple for tourists. The and (world’s largest masonry dam) in Guntur District. Beach is popular amongst domes c travellers.

Capital Region does not have specifi c urban conserva on guidelines for the historic precincts. Many of the heritage assets within Capital region are not well Amaravathi Undavalli Caves Bha prolu maintained and heritage conserva on eff orts are mostly focused on holding the buildings/temples intact neglec ng the whole built environment.

Capital Region off ers great tourism poten al on all fronts - Heritage, Recrea onal, Religious and Natural Features. The lack of solid infrastructure is s ll a major constraint for tourism in this region. Connec vity and Gandhi Hill Nanda Lakshmi Narasimha Swamy temple accommoda on capaci es must be improved to expect more arrivals, with an integrated tourism strategy and proper pricing.

An external strategy could focus on the following ac ons: State and District Tourism Strategy to capitalize and promote the unique off erings. Interna onal trade and tourism fairs Krishna Barrage, credit :Amar Raavi Challapalli Fort Temple at Nallapadu Expanded Air services agreements. An internal strategy could focus on the The agricultural land area following developments : downstream Parakasam barrage Hotel And Catering School bound by NH16 (NH 5) is well Hotel Development irrigated with two and three season Resorts, Other A rac ons crops. This area needs to be Improve Airport Facili es protected from encroachments and Tourism investment policies and urbanisaon. incen ves for hotel and resort development The hills are typically characterized A culture of tourism service with by steep slopes; Encroachment and be er training through a na onal hotel erosion are a major environmental & catering school issue. The forest cover in the region is 2.4.3 reducing due to quarrying ac vi es and encroachments. The challenge would be to protect the forests and ‘«ƒ½½›Ä¦›Ý ƒÄ— ‘ÊÄÝãك®ÄãÝ ini ate aff orestata on in selected Industrializa on, rapid urban growth, areas. 4% of the land falls under migra on and lack of stringent laws to forests and hills. monitor resource u liza on have re- sulted in degrada on of environment in the urban areas. Key challenges and constraints are categorized under environmental and Urban; and they are as below.

EÄò®ÙÊÄÛÄヽ Stringent planning measures need to be taken for areas that fall under high risk fl ood zone. Most of the islands of Krishna river and the valley area in Krishna District fall under this category; comprises 7% of the Capital Region. The presence of the extensive network of canals, rivers and waterbodies in the Capital Region Fig.2.14Capital Region_Environment Constraints and Challenges necessitates a sustainable water management program to enrich the agricultural produce. Around 7% of the area is protected water bodies. URBAN - Key issues and Constraints Vijayawada City faces heavy traffi c within the exis ng urban areas conges on and pollu on issues due to inadequate roads and 23 The northern and southern sides infrastructure provision. With of the river are connected at only the new Capital City located right two places near Vijayawada causing next to Vijayawada; there is a high heavy conges on and air pollu on probability of borrowing these Jaggayyapet in Vijayawada. More adequate north problems into the Capital City even south linkages are need to be built to before the new city is developed. relieve conges on. Major redevelopment strategies Most developed urban se lements need to be ini ated with regard to lie in the eastern part of the region Infrastructure upgrada on in the due to agricultural opportuni es surrounding areas. in this area. The challenge here is to allow for development but at the same me protect the prime agricultural lands. The hill ranges across the northern side pose a constraint in connec ng the iden fi ed key ci es seamlessly. Alternate route need to be iden fi ed.

Ponnuru

Fig.2.15Capital Region_Urban Constraints and Challenges 2.4.4 - A seamless network of green and blue spaces for public leisure connec ng all the natural assets ›Äò®ÙÊÄÛÄヽ could be planned while securing the protec on of the same. A large part of land within the CRDA The Kondapalli Reserve Forest, boundary is fl at land and falls under Ko uru Reserve Forest , Kondaveedu low to medium risk fl ood hazard; Range, Krishna River, Bhavani and The Region’s planned growth areas other islands in Krishna River off er should consider these areas. poten al for a vast eco tourism The Krishna river cu ng across the circuit; This circuit could be linked region off ers a riverfront stretching with the beaches along Krishna and 130km. This off ers an opportunity Guntur district’s coastline. to provide open public spaces with The region off ers a safe and waterfront facili es and commercial conducive environment for tourism ac vi es; leading to vibrant and eco & business. friendly communi es.

Fig.2.16Capital Region_Environmental Assets and Opportuni es çِƒÄ - There is no denying that the A new road link connec ng the new upcoming East Coast Economic Cor- Capital City with the rayalaseema ridor passing through the region will region and further down to boost the region’s economy incredibly. Bangalore could strengthen the region’s connec vity. The two natonal highways NH 16 (NH The proposal for High Speed rail 5) and NH 214 will con nue to be connec ng Visakhapatnam to the back bone of the region as growth Chennai; off ers the advantage of corridors.NH9 will play a key role in loca ng a terminus within the new logisti cs connecti ng Hyderabad to capital city. (More details of the this region and further down to the same are provided in Chapter 3) port; With the Capital City’s loca on New high-tech industrial belt can be in close proximity to Vijayawada, developed close to the airport with Tadepalli and Mangalagiri; the advantage of access to the new planners foresee many advantages. Machilipatnam port. The designated More in terms of available workforce new seaport and proposed from these ci es. Gannavaram internati onal Airport Capital Region also holds open up immense opportuni es for tremendous unexploited tourism new employment centers near poten al in specialized areas such Gudivada and Gannavaram areas. as cultural tourism and tradi onal arts. ‘Temple Tourism’ in par cular could be magnifi ed in the region; with planned state of the art ‘temple town’ promo ng telugu culture. This could be sited close to Amaravathi town.

Fig.2.17Capital Region_Urban Assets and Opportuni es 26

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