Milan (Italy), Sept 15: Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu's dream of bringing India into the formula one racing circuit showed signs of translating into reality as he rounded off his two-day trip with a "positive response" from formula one big wigs.
Naidu, the head of a 19-member delegation, had a busy schedule during his stay in this picturesque city and appeared far more confident of putting Hyderabad in the racing map after his "positive and satisfactory" discussions with formula one chief Bernie Ecclestone.
The Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister's one-to-one meeting with Ecclestone, which was originally scheduled for ten minutes, lasted for nearly 45 minutes indicating the formula one's keenness to explore new markets.
After the one-to-one meeting, some key members of the delegation joined in the discussions and also submitted a bid document to Ecclestone.

"The formula one is a project which is very close to my heart. We had prepared well for the meeting and gave an indication of what we intend to do. The response has been positive. We are very hopeful of hosting an event in 2006," Naidu told reporters.



"It is a project which will enhance Hyderabad's profile and also create direct and indirect employment opportunities to lakhs of people," he said.



Naidu said he was looking at the long term benefits of bringing formula one in Hyderabad and was determined to go ahead with the project even if it elicited criticism from some political parties.


Bureau Report