From Our Correspondent
Focus on Visakhapatnam Mindspace Business Park, Amaravati Hospitality Hub, and Blue Star R&D Centre
Mumbai: Andhra Pradesh Minister for IT, Electronics, HRD and RTG, Nara Lokesh, held a series of high-powered meetings in Mumbai on Monday with global business leaders as part of the state’s investor outreach ahead of the CII Partnership Summit 2025, scheduled to be held in Visakhapatnam on November 14–15.
Raheja Group invited to set up Mindspace Business Park in Visakhapatnam
In a meeting with Raheja Group President Neil Raheja, Lokesh proposed the establishment of a Mindspace Business Park in Visakhapatnam, spread across 100–150 acres with over 10 million sq. ft. of Grade-A office space. He also urged the Group, in partnership with Princeton Digital Group, to set up South India’s largest hyperscale data centre campus in the state.
Highlighting Andhra Pradesh’s advantages such as abundant renewable energy, coastal connectivity for submarine cable access, and ready-to-allot industrial land at concessional rates, Lokesh said the state offered a uniquely attractive ecosystem for large-scale IT and infrastructure investments.
Lokesh further invited Raheja Group to develop a five-star business hotel (Westin/JW Marriott) in Amaravati, besides beach resort properties, retail malls, and entertainment spaces in Visakhapatnam. He suggested the group expedite completion of the under-construction Inorbit Mall in Vizag and replicate similar malls in Vijayawada and Amaravati. He also encouraged expansion of Shoppers Stop retail stores across 8–10 fast-growing cities in Andhra Pradesh and the launch of “Raheja Homes” premium residential projects in the Amaravati Capital Region.
Raheja Group, a major real estate and infrastructure conglomerate with FY 2024–25 revenues of ₹12,000 crore and a market capitalization exceeding ₹100 billion across three listed entities, is the country’s second-largest commercial space developer, with over 54 million sq. ft. of Grade-A office space built across India.
Blue Star urged to establish R&D Centre in Andhra Pradesh
Lokesh also met Blue Star Limited Chairman and Managing Director Vir Advani, urging the company to set up its first R&D centre in South India in Andhra Pradesh.
Commending the company’s successful operations in Sri City, Tirupati, where it is implementing a ₹900 crore expansion plan, Lokesh asked Blue Star to accelerate the project for completion by 2026 and consider Andhra Pradesh as a hub for future research and innovation in air-conditioning and refrigeration technologies.
He noted that under the IT & GCC Policy 4.0, Andhra Pradesh was witnessing strong global investment inflows and invited Blue Star to collaborate with the state government in developing data centre cooling solutions.