By IANS
Raipur : Chhattisgarh is to have a swanky new capital, Naya Raipur, complete with a world-class convention centre, an IT special economic zone, an 18-hole golf course, super speciality hospitals, malls and cricket stadiums. The foundation stone for the dream capital was laid by Chief Minister Raman Singh Monday.
Raman Singh, along with his senior cabinet colleagues, laid the foundation stone for the first phase of the project at Rakhi village, 20 km away from Raipur.
The first phase will have a five-storied centrally air-conditioned capital complex that will house a state secretariat building. It is scheduled to be constructed within 24 months by Hyderabad-based IVRCL Infrastructures and Projects Ltd.
“Naya Raipur will be a planned and eco-friendly modern city and will serve as an engine of growth for the state. It will be equipped with state-of-the-art physical, social and economic infrastructure,” said the chief minister at the function.
Naya Raipur will replace Raipur as the administrative capital of Chhattisgarh, which came into existence in November 2000. The new city is located between National Highways 6 and 43 and will be connected to the present capital city by an expressway.
The capital complex, to be spread out on 670,000 sq feet land, would cost around Rs.1.8 billion ($45 million).
Officials say Naya Raipur, which is inspired by Kuala Lumpur’s new capital complex at Putrajaya, will be spread out on 8,000 hectares, for which the government has to acquire land of 20 villages.
The construction work of a four-lane 67 km road was begun Monday in Naya Raipur area. The road contract worth Rs.3 billion ($76 million), was awarded to B. Seenaiah and Co (Projects) Ltd.
Other things the new capital will boast of are a five-star hotel, a gems and jewellery SEZ, a garments park, a residential township, an amusement park, commercial office space, museum and art galleries, entertainment parks, botanical garden, a law university, an education hub, a 60,000-seater cricket stadium, a cultural centre, malls and a sports complex.