19-06-2025
World Bank, ADB delegation visits Amaravati
Vijayawada: The Andhra Pradesh Capital Region Development Authority (APCRDA) hosted a high-level delegation from the World Bank and the Asian Development Bank (ADB) for a day-long engagement focused on environmental and social safeguards and made a field visit to capital Amaravati on Wednesday.
As part of the city-to-city partnership initiative, Toru Hashimoto, International Partnership Specialist from Yokohama, Japan, shared his insights and experiences on Yokohama's urban development strategies and sustainability practices, offering valuable insights for the development of the capital Amaravati.
Hashimoto presented a detailed overview of Yokohama's urban planning models. The session was attended by K Kanna Babu, Commissioner, APCRDA along with Additional Commissioners G Surya Sai Praveenchand and Mallarapu Naveen, and other officials. The discussions during the session were productive and opened new avenues for adopting global best practices in Amaravati's capital development journey.
The World Bank and ADB Environmental and Social (E&S) Safeguards team made a visit to various key locations in the capital region. The visiting team comprised Venkata Rao Bayana, Senior Social Development Specialist, World Bank; Saswati Belliappa, Senior Safeguards Specialist (Social), ADB; Ranjan Verma, Social Safeguards Consultant, World Bank; Harshvardhan Singh, Social Safeguards Consultant, ADB; Joseph Akpokidje, Senior Environmental Specialist, World Bank; and Damanjit Singh, Environmental Safeguards Consultant, World Bank.
The field visit began with an inspection of the RVR Project Site along the E6 Trunk Road, where the team reviewed labour camps and Occupational Health & Safety (OHS) aspects. The delegation then visited the Thullur Skill Development Centre (Job Mela) to understand the livelihood initiatives being implemented for the benefit of local communities.
In the later part of the day, the team visited the Ananthavaram Nursery to examine the best practices followed in tree translocation and concluded the visit with a review of water quality monitoring systems at the River Water Quality Monitoring Station.
The visit reinforced APCRDA's ongoing commitment to sustainable and inclusive development while adopting international best practices in environmental and social management. The collaboration with global institutions continues to support Amaravati's vision of becoming a world-class capital city rooted in innovation and environmental stewardship.
