Malaysian firm to develop Madras-Visakhapatnam highway

Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu says the Centre has decided to entrust the Madras-Visakhapatnam national highway development work to a Malaysian firm.

Addressing the Confederation of Indian Industry's joint task force in Hyderabad, he said that Malaysia's Dato Swamy had come forward to set up an international trade centre at Hyderabad. ''If the agreement already signed with Dunkan-Macneil in this regard does not materialise, the project would be given to the Malaysian company,'' he said.

Naidu said he proposes to tour China for five days in December. He will also visit South Korea and Japan early next year.

The chief minister said he intended to develop half a dozen industrial excellence centres in the state. These would be ''notified areas'' with a single-window system for industrial and infrastructural development projects.

Naidu also proposes to establish an Indian institute of construction technology which would tie up with a reputed university.

UNI