Andhra to develop industrial park over 23,000 acres in Sri Sathya Sai district

Amaravati : The Andhra Pradesh government has decided to develop an industrial park spanning 23,000 acres in the Sri Sathya Sai district.

It includes land earlier allotted to the Lepakshi Knowledge Hub near Kodikonda check post.

The proposed park will be divided into 16 industry-specific zones, covering sectors such as space, aerospace, electronics, drones, and IT. The master plan is being prepared by Lee and Associates, the same firm that designed the Visakhapatnam master plan.

Of the 23,000 acres, approximately 8,844 acres, which were earlier allocated to Lepakshi, have been lost, and the government is now acquiring the remaining lands. The APIIC has begun the process of acquiring 2,000 acres near Tekulodu, with a total target of 14,000 acres for the project.

Compensation for farmers has been fixed at ₹7–14 lakh per acre, requiring nearly ₹800 crore. To meet this, APIIC is negotiating loans with financial institutions, after the government recently permitted it to raise about ₹2,000 crore.

Near Bengaluru airport :

The proposed site lies along the Bengaluru National Highway, about 75 km from Devanahalli airport. With limited land available for industries in Bengaluru and Chennai, this location is expected to attract major IT and industrial investments. Travel time to the airport will be just 90 minutes.

Lepakshi SEZ land disputes :

The 8,844 acres once allotted to the Lepakshi SEZ were mortgaged for loans that later went into default. Following this, banks moved the National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT), and the ED seized portions of the land. Officials say some of these disputed lands have since been acquired through NCLT proceedings.

Authorities plan to complete the master plan by December, after which land will be allotted zone-wise for industrial development.