NEW GUJARAT CITY MAY REPLICATE PUTRAJAYA

NEW DELHI, Jan 11 (Bernama) -- A proposed new city in Gujarat, a prosperous
state in western India, has shown interest to replicate Putrajaya, Malaysia's
administrative capital.

Malaysia's special envoy for infrastructure to India and South Asia S. Samy
Vellu said the state government was keen on Putrajaya's design, which he had
proposed to Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi.

"They are building a new city and I proposed the Putrajaya model. They are
interested in city planning, the layout and development of infrastructure. We
will submit our proposal.

"They also want to upgrade existing highways and repair bridges, some which
are over 150 years old," he told Bernama after holding talks with Modi last
Sunday.

Samy Vellu met Modi on the sidelines of the ninth Pravasi Bharatiya Divas
that concluded in Delhi last week.

Gujarat, one of the fastest growing economies in India is home to nearly 50
million people, the 10th most populous Indian state.

In Chennai, Samy Vellu held discussion with Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M.
Karunanidhi on Monday, promoting low cost housing models in the booming state.

"We are trying to propose our system of low cost houses, the prefab
(prefabricated) model. We had a preliminary discussion and will soon submit a
proposal.

"Tamil Nadu is becoming a very vibrant state and we want to play our part in
its development," he added.

Tamil Nadu, with over 60 million people, is one of the most progressive
states in the south.

--BERNAMA