Naidu directs officials to set timelines to complete Amaravati construction

Work in Progress

• Initial work on Amaravati resumed before Naidu took charge, with clearing operations underway
• CRDA Commissioner promises expedited completion of Amaravati’s pending projects
• Naidu reaffirms Amaravati as the sole capital, with Visakhapatnam as a financial hub
• Land Pooling Scheme initially acquired 33,000 acres from farmers for Amaravati
• Naidu aims to secure central govt funds to finish Amaravati’s development

Vijayawada: Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu has told the officials after taking over the reins of the State on Wednesday that timelines have to be drawn to complete the pending works of futuristic capital Amaravati. The works on developing the capital city came to a standstill after the erstwhile YSRCP Government announced development of three capitals viz. executive capital at Visakhapatnam, judicial capital at Kurnool and legislative capital at Amaravati saying the State cannot afford the cost of developing a single integrated capital.

The government, then also contended that three capitals would ensure decentralised development. However, due to court challenges the proposal could not be

completed.Before taking over charge itself, respecting the public mandate in support of the TDP-led NDA and its focus to develop Amaravati, officials started works on clearing bushes and shrubs by deploying nearly 100 cranes and tippers. Informal discussions were also held on pending bills to the contractors which were not settled during the past regime.

“We will expedite the pending works on a war-footing,” Capital Region Development Authority (CRDA) Commissioner Vivek Yadav, said after inspecting the pending works. New Chief Secretary Neerabh Kumar Prasad is directly supervising the completion of the pending works.

“We will have only Amaravati as the sole capital of Andhra Pradesh. There will not be any drama like having three capital in the past. Visakhapatnam will be developed as a financial capital and an international city,” Naidu said immediately after his election as the leader of the NDA Legislature Party.

Under an innovative programme named Land Pooling Scheme (LPS), Naidu had acquired 33,000 acres from the farmers to develop a riverside capital by promising lease rental for 10 years and allotment of 1,000 square yards of developed plot of their choice for every acre surrendered by them. Several companies from Singapore under a consortium had helped in finalisation of the master plan and Amaravati Capital Startup Project. The companies backed out from their commitment after YSRCP president and then Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy announced in the Assembly in December 2019 the plan to develop three capitals.

The investment required for Amaravati development with 27 townships and nine theme cities was to the tune of Rs 1.5 lakh crore out of which works worth Rs 40,000 crore were launched before demitting office by Naidu during his earlier stint. Now with NDA getting a landslide mandate in Andhra Pradesh with 16 Lok Sabha members, Naidu is expected to exert pressure on the Government of India to release funds under various heads to complete the unfinished task of transforming Amaravati into a futuristic capital. “We are very happy after our continuous struggle. Capital construction works are being revived under the leadership of Naidu,” Amaravati JAC convener A Siva Reddy told Bizz Buzz.