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KADAPA, 6th June’09 : Government of AndhraPradesh intends to develop an “Integrated Tourism & Township Project” at a cost of Rs.10000 crores in 800 hectares of land on the bank of Penna River, situated amidst serene natural surroundings of the historic Gandikota Fort, Kadapa District.
The Site is next to Gandikota Fort, which is of a rich historical heritage with spectacular and unique natural features to boot. Massive cliffs provide the picture-perfect setting for the Penna River and a breathtaking bird’s eye view of the expanse. Further upstream, the river leads to the beautiful Mylavaram reservoir, which provides perfect script for development of a world-class tourist facility.
The strategic location is the biggest advantage for the proposed project as it is falls approximately, 350 kms distance from three of the South Indian Capital Cities i.e. Hyderabad, Bangalore and Chennai, which are well known Global IT destinations with intense economic activities. The Site is also near to major tourist destination of India like Tirupathi (The world’s second largest spiritual tourism center, next to only to Jerusalem in terms of number of people visiting per annum), Hampi (The World Heritage Site) and Puttaparthi (The abode of Shri Satya Sai Baba).
Gandikota Fort/ Gorge Fort is a historical monument of Sri Krishnadevaraya period, well-known king of Vijayanagara Empire. It was established in 13th century by Chalukyas & Qutubuddin Aibak and is spread over 8 Sq. Kms. of land. Fort is surrounded by water on 3 sides, one of the sides are seasonally dry. Within the Fort area, there are many interesting places of tourism significance, the Ranganatha and Madhava Swamy temples built during the 15th & 16th Centuries are adorned with
beautiful sculptures and are in an architectural style reminiscent of the great Vijayanagara Period. The Fort has the largest granary in India. The Fort would be one of the primary attractions to be integrated with the proposed project.
APTDC envisages the proposed development as an integrated ‘Tourist Destination’ with ‘Active Recreation’ as a central theme for development. While fulfilling the objective of promoting tourism, the proposed project should preserve the unique natural features and beauty of the area and integrate with other project components in environmentally sustainable manner.
IL&FS Infrastructure Development Corporation Ltd. (IL&FS IDC) is the Advisor for Project Development, Promotion and Bid Process Management.
Implementation
The project is proposed to be implemented through Public Private Partnership (PPP), where land would be leased and/ or lease-cum-sale (in case of Township component) and/ or development rights (in case of off-site tourism infrastructure) and/or any other framework would be given to the Developer selected through a competitive bidding process. The Developer would undertake planning, design, construction, commissioning, marketing, operation and maintenance of the project facilities.
Suggested Components of the proposed zone:
Active Tourism : Amusement Park, Water Park, Adventure Zone, Trekking.
Historical & Educational Tourism: Theme Park (Enactment of Magnificence/Glory of Southern Empires), Museums, Cultural Study Centre, Light & Sound Shows, Heritage Walk.
Recreation, Entertainment and Accommodation: Retail Streets (Indian Traditional Bazaar Streets), Resorts & Hotels, Shopping Malls & Multiplexes.
Leisure Tourism: Camping sites, Boating, Ropeways, suspension bridges etc.
Invited EOI
APTDC invited Global Expression of Interest (EOI) from Developers / Investors / Operators of Tourism Destinations of National/ International repute to plan, design, finance, construct, operate, maintain and manage the proposed project.
