The Telangana government will develop an eco-town spread across 80 acres, inspired by the Japanese city of Kitakyushu, to meet the needs of future generations with a strong focus on sustainable development, state Minister for Information Technology and Industries D Sridhar Babu said.

Speaking at a conference titled “From Kitakyushu to Telangana: Catalysing Sustainable Industrial Growth” here on Monday, the Minister said the initiative stems from a mutual cooperation agreement signed between Telangana and Kitakyushu, which will act as a strategic roadmap for this project, an official release said.

He highlighted that the government’s sustained efforts over the past 18 months have led to investments to the tune of Rs 3 lakh crore and emphasised that Telangana is keen to boost Japanese investment in the state.

Looking ahead, the Telangana government will collaborate with Kitakyushu on several forward-looking initiatives including Net Zero targets, riverfront development, circular economy practices, clean technologies, and digital innovation, he said.

Sridhar Babu said that the feasibility of introducing direct flight services between Hyderabad and Kitakyushu will be explored to further strengthen bilateral ties.

Meanwhile, the Telangana government and Japan’s Kitakyushu city signed a cooperation agreement to strengthen relations and boost inclusive economic growth, zero emissions and urban innovation. Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy welcomed the signing of the cooperation agreement on Monday between Telangana and Kitakyushu city and expressed hope that the partnership would foster an eco system for inclusive economic growth, zero emission and urban innovation, an official release said. The CM, who recently visited Japan, said, “the eco-town model in the city has inspired us and the state government signed agreements with many Japanese companies to develop an identical model in Hyderabad”.