VIJAYAWADA: The State government is keen to give a structure to Amaravati before the elections and the AP Capital Region Development Authority (APCRDA) is expediting the construction of key legislative buildings: Secretariat, Legislative Assembly and High Court, in Amaravati.
While the civil works of the five-storied Secretariat and Heads of Department (HOD) towers are expected to begin in the last week of September, the authority is set to open the tender bids of the High Court on Wednesday. Even though the schematic designs of the Secretariat have been finalised, the structural drawings are yet to be frozen.
This is expected to take at least a month-and-a-half and APCRDA officials are trying to complete the process as soon as possible.
“We have set a target date of September 18 to finalise the structural designs of the five-storied Secretariat, after which the civil works would begin. With regard to the iconic buildings -- Assembly and High Court -- we held a workshop at the CRDA office last week, and a team of officials has embarked on a four-day visit to London to discuss the schematic and structural aspects,” an official from the Engineering wing of CRDA said.
At the meeting in London, CRDA and Foster + Partner, the master architect of Amaravati along with designers of the iconic buildings, would finalise the schedule for the pending designs. “We expect the superstructure of at least two-three towers of the Secretariat and that of the High Court to be ready before the elections,” the official added.
In the meantime, the official added, soil testing and other preparatory works are underway at the Secretariat project site. “We have given land to contractors to establish the batching (concrete making) plant, and it is expected to become operational by September 15. The clearance of site and soil testing is under progress,” the official observed.