VIJAYAWADA: The state government seems to have been caught between the devil and the deep sea as it is yet to take a call on what could be done with the unfinished multi-storied residential towers constructed in Amaravati for various government functionaries.
It is learnt that Andhra Pradesh Capital Region Development Authority (APCRDA), which is hoping to resume works as some residential towers achieved about 70 per cent physical progress, has informed the government that at least another Rs 2,500 crore is needed to finish them with necessary facilities, including roads and sewage.
It is learnt that the government, which is ambivalent over the financial viability to spend more funds on the project, is likely to take a call on the same soon.
Though the APCRDA hopes to resume the works to ensure that the investment made so far doesn’t go waste, a policy decision is expected to be taken soon.
For the record, the works related to multi-storied towers of 3,840 housing units (85 lakh sq ft) and 186 bungalows and basic infrastructure (10 lakh sq ft) all government functionaries were taken up with Rs 2,923 crore and Rs 526.3 crore respectively.
While they were to be completed by the end of 2019 as per the actual plan, the YSRC government, after assuming power last year, stalled engineering works, including those taken up by the APCRDA.
Municipal Administration and Urban Development (MAUD) Minister Botcha Satyanarayana has recently visited the towers and other projects in Amaravati and is said to have asked the authority to submit details on the funds needed for their completion to assess the financial viability.
“The APCRDA informed that another Rs 2,500 crore is needed for finishing the works with basic infrastructure such as roads, sewage among others,” an official explained.
Even if the necessary funds were to be sanctioned, how could the buildings be used and how economically viable would they be will remain the pertinent questions, the officials said.
When asked if the government has any plans to sell them under Mission Build Andhra Pradesh, the official replied in the negative.
“There is no such proposal,” the official added. If a proposal of such nature were to be made, it has to be assessed if the government would be able to get back its expenditure as investors may not prefer a location which has no basic facilities, sources noted.