VIJAYAWADA: The officials of Andhra Pradesh Capital Region Development Authority (APCRDA), which had repeatedly claimed earlier that the housing for MLAs, MLCs and government officials would be ready by March, set a new deadline for the completion of the work. They informed Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu that the houses would be ready by mid-August.
In a review meeting held with APCRDA and Amaravati Development Corporation ltd (ADCL) officials on Thursday, the officials told Naidu that the elections led to the delay in the progress as the workforce left for the respective home towns to exercise their franchise. “The housing for MLAs, MLCs, All India Services (AIS) officers, and State government employees is expected to be ready by August 12 and the villas for ministers and secretaries of the government are likely to be ready by August 16,” the officials informed Naidu. It may be recalled that Municipal Administration Minister and vice-chairman of APCRDA P Narayana, and officials, had repeatedly claimed that the keys of the houses would be handed over to officials by March 31.
Furthermore, Chairperson and Managing Director (CMD) of ADCL D Lakshmi Parthasarathy explained that 216-km-long road works were completed so far. “The works related to another 320 kms are pending due to the issues with land acquisition,” she said. She also said that a park would be developed opposite the Secretariat in Malkapuram and that the corporation was keen on developing water sports at the Amaravati Central Park in Sakhamuru.
On the occasion, the Chief Minister directed the officials to ensure the completion of housing projects before the new Assembly convenes. Naidu instructed the officials to identify the projects on the basis of priority, including major roads, and complete them before the onset of monsoon. He also instructed them to take up greenery and lighting along the roads as the footfall to the new capital would significantly increase in the coming months.
The officials also appraised Naidu of the status of the five-tower Secretariat and ‘iconic’ High Court. They said both the structures would be ready by July and September next year. “The iconic Assembly building is at tendering stage and contractor would be onboard soon,” they said. The officials also explained that the Land Pooling Scheme (LPS) layouts development, to be returned to the farmers, would be completed only by 2022.