News Brief
Arjun Brij
Dec 11, 2024, 10:18 AM | Updated 10:18 AM IST
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The Andhra Pradesh Capital Region Development Authority (CRDA), chaired by Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu, has sanctioned developmental works worth Rs 8,821.44 crore for capital city Amaravati.
A significant portion of this amount is allocated to road construction, particularly in areas acquired under the state’s land pooling scheme.
During a press briefing on Tuesday (10 December), Andhra Pradesh Municipal Administration and Urban Development Minister P Narayana said that Rs 3,807 crore is dedicated to road construction within pooled land areas.
Additionally, Rs 4,521 crore has been earmarked for trunk roads, and Rs 492 crore allocated for constructing bungalows for ministers and High Court judges.
Narayana noted that CRDA, in its previous meetings, approved works worth Rs 11,471 crore.
The cumulative value of projects cleared has now reached Rs 20,292.46 crore.
The layouts for at least 236 kilometres covering villages like Nelapadu, Rayapudi, Ananthavaram and Dondapadu have been cleared, while trunk roads for 97.5 km have been approved, the minister said.
However, the minister expressed concerns over project delays, noting that only Rs 5,000 crore worth of works were completed out of the Rs 41,000 crore tendered from 2014 to 2019.
If the works had not been delayed, construction costs would not have risen by 25-28 per cent, he explained, adding that building costs had surged by 35-55 percent.
If Amaravati had remained the capital, these cost escalations would have been avoided, Narayana asserted.
He also emphasised the urgency of resuming pending projects, stating that the tendering process for the newly approved works will commence by 15 December and conclude by month-end.
Regarding international collaborations, the minister mentioned that legal cases against Singaporean designers have created obstacles.
The permission of the Chief Minister is needed to invite them again, Narayana said. A decision will be taken after consulting the Chief Minister, the Minister added.
Arjun Brij is an Editorial Associate at Swarajya. He tweets at @arjun_brij