In the budget presented on July 23 (Tuesday), the Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman announced, among other projects, additional allocation for capital investment on the Visakhapatnam-Chennai Industrial Corridor (VCIC) and the Hyderabad-Chennai industrial corridor.
“For the Koparthy node on the Visakhapatnam-Chennai Industrial Corridor, an additional allocation will be provided this year towards capital investment for economic growth,” she said.
The Koparthy Industrial Area under VCIC is proposed along with the southern node of Tirupati and Nellore. The industrial clusters proposed at Koparthy in the Kadapa region are based on the key criteria that the two highways, State Highways and National Highways, are within a radius of 50 km, while rail connectivity is also available within a distance of 25 km.
“This will provide competitive advantages for sectors such as food processing, metallurgy, automobiles, pharmaceuticals, electronics, and aerospace and will contribute towards rapid development of the backward Rayalaseema region,” said AP Chamber of Commerce and Industry Federation president Potluri Bhaskar Rao.
The total area for a detailed master plan and preliminary design report for roads and services/utilities for the Koparthy Industrial Area is approximately 5,760.2 acres. Out of this, 3,164 acres is being developed by the State government and 2,595 acres under the National Industrial Corridor Development and Implementation Trust (NICDIT) framework.
The Koparthy industrial node is a part of the 11 industrial corridors with 32 projects the Union government proposes to develop in four phases across the country under the National Industrial Corridor Programme (NICP).