The Rayalaseema heartland got the much-needed boost on the tourism front, when Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy inaugurated a speed boating facility and laid the foundation stone for the construction of Oberoi group of hotels at Gandikota on Sunday.
Accompanied by Deputy Chief Minister S.B. Amzath Basha, Minister for Tourism and Culture R.K. Roja, Member of Parliament Y.S. Avinash Reddy among others, he ‘virtually’ laid stones for similar facilities at Tirupati and Visakhapatnam.
The super luxury seven-star hotel, the first of its kind in Andhra Pradesh coming up at the backward Jammalamadugu constituency, is meant to attract tourists in droves to what is termed as India’s reply to ‘The Grand Canyon’. Currently, the high-end tourist crowd is reaching the spot from Bengaluru, depriving the backward region its deserving share of the revenue pie.
“Gandikota will get a place on the global tourism map with the arrival of the Oberois and Kadapa district, in general, will develop to a great extent,” Mr. Jagan Mohan Reddy said. It is in this same constituency that the Jindals are building the steel plant, considered a major employment provider to the region.
Interestingly, Mr. Jagan Mohan Reddy will inaugurate a manufacturing facility of Dixon Technologies in Kopparthi industrial area on the outskirts of Kadapa on Monday, which is expected to provide direct and indirect employment to 1,000 people each. Many MoUs are expected to be signed with electronic goods manufacturers on the occasion.
Later, the Chief Minister inaugurated the municipal complex and an Integrated Sports Academy in his home constituency of Pulivendula.
₹350-crore project
In Visakhapatnam, the seven-star luxury resort of the group will be coming up at Annavaram coastal village in Bheemili mandal. Located 8 km away from the upcoming greenfield Bhogapuram International Airport, the ₹350-crore project is expected to be completed in four years.
The Chief Minister directed the district administration to provide all possible support to the Oberoi group for the speedy completion of the project so that Visakhapatnam could be developed as an international tourist centre.
