Visakhapatnam, Sep 5 : Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu on Friday said that the state government is ready to establish an international arbitration centre in Visakhapatnam with the support of the judiciary.

He was speaking at the International Mediation conference organised by the Asian Centre for International Arbitration and Mediation (ACIAM).

The Chief Minister stressed the need to develop a mechanism to reduce disputes through Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) systems using technology to support the economic growth of India.

Stating that Lord Krishna is the best mediator, the Chief Minister said mediation for dispute resolution is not new, and it is an age-old practice in villages, where village elders used to resolve disputes through mediation.

Citing the example of his father, who used to resolve disputes in his village as well as surrounding villages, the Chief Minister stressed the need for developing the biggest ADR centre in Visakhapatnam, better than Singapore. The

Singapore Mediation and Arbitration Centre is stated to be the best mediation centre globally.

The Chief Minister explained the scope of Visakhapatnam emerging as a global technology hub with a data centre to be set up by Google within one or two years. He said the state government is developing a Quantum computing centre in Amaravati and at the same time, developing a space city and drone city.

He said that the state government has been providing 700 services through WhatsApp using technology and real-time data. He stressed the need for bridging the gap between haves and have-nots for a healthier society.

Earlier, addressing the gathering, National Law Institute Bhopal Vice-Chancellor Prof S. Suryaprakash suggested the International School of Maritime Law in Visakhapatnam, given the existence of a long coastline and increasing maritime disputes. He noted that currently, maritime arbitration is going on from Mumbai, while only Gujarat has a maritime university.

Chief Justice of Andhra Pradesh High Court Justice Dheeraj Singh Thakur said that training has been given to 1400 mediators, while 800 more will be trained by December. At present, there is no method of judging skill or a mechanism to judge the capacity of mediators. Integrity and Honesty play a key role in mediation and arbitration, he said.

Addressing the gathering, Supreme Court judges Justice Surya Kant and Justice P. S. Narsimha stated that trust plays a key role in resolving disputes through mediation.

/IANS