GUNTUR: Even as ongoing works for the temporary Secretariat at Velagapudi in the capital region of Amaravati are expected to be delayed by at least a month, the state government is still maintaining that the works will be completed by the end of this month and the state administration will shift to the interim government complex at Velagapudi.
Though, both the construction companies L&T and Shapoorji Pallonji, who secured the contracts for construction of as many as six blocks of the G + 1 temporary Secretariat complex, have completed the slab works of five blocks, the final works including plastering, plumbing, electricity and partition are expected to take more time.
Speaking to TNIE, a government official, who supervised the works recently, said that the engineers at the construction site, though, on record maintain that they will complete the works on time, but talking privately they say it may take nearly one more month to hand over the buildings to the government.
“When compared to the brick work of raising walls, plastering and other interior works will take more time. Since the internal works have just begun, I hope that the buildings will be made ready only by August,” the official said on the condition of anonymity.
Meanwhile, Municipal Administration minister P Narayana, who inspected the ongoing works on Sunday, exuded confidence that they will meet the deadline and employees will have to be ready for relocating to Amaravati from Hydedarabad.
However, employees still express their reluctance to shift to Amaravati citing the existing infrastructure at the temporary Secretariat is not up to the mark.
Revenue employees association state president Bopparaju Venkateswarulu said that though they are ready to come to Amaravati, they wanted to know from the government how would they work even without minimum facilities and without knowing where the offices of the heads of departments would come up.
Shortage of masons for internal works
Another hurdle in the timely completion of the ongoing works is the shortage of labourers. While the workers from Odisha, Jharkhand and Uttar Pradesh, who had been employed by contractors for works like rod bending, operating of earth movers and other machinery, are returning to their native places as their workis over, the contractors are now in search for masons for taking up the plastering works. Though, some of masons from Visakhapatnam and West Godavari districts have been engaged for the internal works, there still is a need for more such workers for taking up the task.