Andhra Pradesh govt late on construction of Amaravati

While the Andhra Pradesh state government is sure of completing major construction work here, including that of the state secretariat complex, the high court, quarters for ministers and MLAs and a grid of roads, by 2019, the work on the ground seems to be far from reaching the target.

Amaravati is being built in an area of 33,000 acres of fertile land given by farmers in 29 villages in Guntur district on the banks of river Krishna.

The interim government complex, which houses the state Assembly and the Council, is the only completed structure in the whole capital.

The VIT Amaravati and SRM Colleges are the private universities that have set up institutions here and are conducting classes.

The foundation for the permanent Andhra Pradesh secretariat complex, consisting of five towers that include the Chief Minister's Office at Kondamarajupalem in Tullur, is yet to be layed.

However, the Andhra Pradesh Capital Region Development Authority (APCRDA) sources are confident that the superstructure of the head of the department's tower will be ready by 2019 elections.

"While the fist building will have 46 stories with the chief minister's office on the top floor, the other four will have 40 stories each," a CRDA official said.

On the other hand, the interim judicial complex, which will house the Andhra Pradesh High Court at Nelapadu, is also expected to be completed by 2019.

Similarly, the construction of houses for MLAs and officials near Lingayapalem by NCC and L&T is progressing but villas for the ministers very close to the secretariat complex hasn't taken off so far. The road network will have to be ready by March 2019.

State Municipal Administration Minister P Narayana said all the major works of the capital city would be completed by 2019.

"So far, works worth Rs 28,000 crore have been grounded and works worth another Rs 20,000 crore would begin the tendering process," he said.

"The Centre is not at all helping in the construction of Amaravati. The Rs 2,000 crore that we are mopping up through Amaravati Bonds is nothing when compared to the Rs 48,000 crore required to develop Amaravati in 217 square kilometres," he said.

However, Sambi Reddy of Kistayapalem — one of those villages against land pooling — said that nothing on the ground has changed.

"It has been four years now. Only the number of vehicles passing through our villages increased, everything is hype,” he told DH.