From Our Correspondent
Amaravati: The Government of Andhra Pradesh has entered into a landmark partnership with the School of Planning and Architecture, Vijayawada (SPAV) to strengthen urban planning, governance, and sustainable city development across the state.
The Municipal Administration and Urban Development (MA&UD) Department signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with SPAV at the Secretariat on Friday. The agreement was signed by S. Suresh Kumar, IAS, Principal Secretary, MA&UD, and Dr. Srikonda Ramesh, Director, SPAV, in the presence of MA&UD Minister Ponguru Narayana.
Scope of Collaboration
Under the MoU, SPAV will provide advisory, policy, and consultancy support on technical aspects such as:
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Urban and regional planning
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Water management and green cover enhancement
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Environmental and climatic dimensions of planning
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Architecture and environmental design
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Public planning policy and allied domains
A six-member working group comprising officials from both MA&UD and SPAV will be set up to steer the collaboration, which will run initially for three years.
SPAV will also conduct training and capacity-building programmes for officials, planners, municipal and town planning officers, and other stakeholders. The focus areas include metropolitan planning, land administration, governance reforms, and deployment of emerging technologies such as GIS, remote sensing, Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning, and Internet of Things in urban management.
Minister’s Remarks
Minister Ponguru Narayana said the partnership demonstrates the government’s commitment to blending governance with academic expertise.
“This collaboration reflects our Government’s vision to create vibrant, people-centric, and environmentally sustainable cities. The partnership with SPAV will empower our institutions with the best of technology, research, and innovation. It is a crucial step in our mission to make Amaravati and other cities benchmarks of future-ready urban development,” he said.
Senior Officials Present
The event was attended by top officials, including the Commissioner, APCRDA; Commissioner & Director of Municipal Administration; Director of Town and Country Planning; MD, SAC; MD, APMRCL; CMD, ADCL; ENC, PHMED; CEO, APUIAML; and MD, APG&BC.
From SPAV, Director Dr. Srikonda Ramesh, Dr. Adi Narayani, and Dr. Prashant Vardhan participated.
Next Steps
According to Principal Secretary S. Suresh Kumar, the collaboration is expected to yield evidence-based, technology-driven solutions in climate resilience, land and water resource management, traffic and transportation planning, and smart city systems.
Officials said the initiative is designed to position Andhra Pradesh as a national leader in urban innovation and sustainable planning.