VIJAYAWADA: With the state government preparing the ground to take up massive construction activity in Amaravati this year, the major challenge that lies ahead for the Capital Region Development Authority (CRDA) is pooling in sand, gravel, metal and other raw materials, which are required in abundant quantities. While plans have been chalked out to start works related to the 15 million sq ft built-up area, officials are preparing the road map to tap the available resources.
Even though the contractors, awarded the work are required to find the resources yet the state government is facilitating the process to avoid any delay. According to officials, gravel is the only critical resource, which needs planning. “Since the State government doesn’t have any sources to procure gravel from, we will have to completely depend on private players,” said a senior official of CRDA. As for the metal required for the construction, CRDA has already identified the sources. For sand, the Krishna district administration, out of the available dozen sand reaches, which have an estimated collective capacity of close to 15 lakh cubic metres, has decided to reserve three reaches for the construction of Amaravati.
The commissioner of the CRDA Cherukuri Sreedhar said the mapping of resources has been completed. “Sand, metal and gravel are the primary resources required. We have identified to source gravel within the 15-km radius of Amaravati. Sand is also available. We have sufficient quantities as of now,” he told TNIE.
But, it is learnt that the contractors, who have undertaken construction of housing projects for government representatives, are also looking for sand reaches other than those reserved.
The reason is to cut down on the cost, it is said. “After fixing a price and finalising tenders accordingly, the contractors are planning to source sand from other reaches, which are closer to the construction site. This is to increase their profit margin, while the burden of the state exchequer remains the same,” said a source in the CRDA. However, the officials denied any such development.
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