NEW DELHI: Amaravati Development Partners (ADP), the joint venture between Singapore Amaravati Investment Holdings (SAIH) and Amaravati Development Corporation, have announced that it will commence development of an exhibition-cum-community centre called the “Welcome Gallery” within the Amaravati Capital City Start-Up Area in the state of Andhra Pradesh, India.
SAIH is a wholly-owned joint venture company of Ascendas-Singbridge Andhra Investment Holdings and Sembcorp Development India.
A commencement ceremony was held today to mark the first step towards the development of the Welcome Gallery, where a commemorative plaque was unveiled by Shri Chandrababu Naidu – Honourable Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh and Shri S Iswaran – Honourable Minister for Communications and Information & Minister-in-charge of Trade Relations, Republic of Singapore. The ceremony was attended by ADP Partners, Business & Local Community leaders, Senior Government Officials from Andhra Pradesh and Republic of Singapore, as well as members of AP-Singapore Business Council (APSBC) and a business delegation led by the Singapore Business Federation (SBF).
Occupying 2.6 hectares of land area, the Welcome Gallery will have a built-up area of 4,080 sqm and can accommodate 2,000 to 3,000 visitors daily. The Welcome Gallery will consist of a City Gallery, Exhibition Zone, Community Zone, Engagement Zone, as well as co-working spaces to house startups. Besides serving as a one-stop information centre for all visitors, it will also be a focal point for companies to showcase their sustainable urban solutions concepts, as well as function as a business promotion platform, through the hosting of various national and international level events and exhibitions. Designed
for community and creative use, the Welcome Gallery will also feature lush greeneries with an abundance of open spaces and will be accessible to local residents for recreation and community engagements.
The Welcome Gallery forms part of the larger Catalytic Development Area, and will play an integral role in generating activities in the area, which will spread across the entire Start-Up Area over time. The 20-hectare Catalytic Development Area is developed as part of the Phase 1 development of the Start-Up Area, and will comprise 75,000 sq m of office, residential and retail spaces. The Start-Up Area has a total development land area of 6.84 sq km, which will be developed in three phases over the next 20 years.
ADP is also pleased to announce that 15 companies and institutions from Germany, India, Japan, and Singapore have entered into Memoranda of Understanding with ADP as partners in the areas of Smart Buildings; Smart Energy; Smart Environment; and Smart Collaborations.
Dr. Sreedhar Cherukuri (IAS), Commissioner of Andhra Pradesh Capital Region Development Authority (APCRDA), commented: “The Capital City of Amaravati is significant in representing the close ties and strong partnership between the governments of Andhra Pradesh and Singapore. Development of the Welcome Gallery represents a key milestone towards the smooth completion of the Catalytic Development Area. We will continue to strive towards developing Amaravati as a smart, sustainable and efficient city by working with the master developers to promote investments and boost economic activities in the city.”
Lakshmi Partharsarathy (IAS), Vice-Chairperson of ADP, commented: “The Welcome Gallery will be a touchpoint for visitors and citizens to get a glimpse of Amaravati Capital City as it develops. As a community hub with specially-designed spaces for visitor and community engagement, the gallery will be a conducive location for exhibitions and activities to be held. In addition, the gallery will also serve as a platform for us to engage with partners who are specialists in sustainable urban development solutions which could be applied to the future of our capital city. As the development of the city progresses, we also look forward to more opportunities to work together with such partners to further accelerate the development of Amaravati.”
Nina Yang, Chairperson of ADP, said: “We are delighted to celebrate the first step in our development of the Welcome Gallery. I wish to also thank all ADP Partners who have come forward to collaborate with us in the development of this Welcome Gallery and the project. These companies and institutions are leaders in their respective fields, and we believe that they will add significant value to the development of the Welcome Gallery. Leveraging on Sembcorp and Ascendas-Singbridge Group’s network and extensive experience in development, we look forward to working closely with our partners to develop a functional exhibition-cum-community centre that is modern, smart and sustainable. This will bring Amaravati closer to its aim of becoming the world-class capital city of Andhra Pradesh, and a core region for business and talent.”