VIJAYAWADA: Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu has suggested Municipal Administration and Urban Development Minister P Narayana and the APCRDA to come up with an action plan to develop Amaravati as a City of Artificial Intelligence.
During a review meeting with the MAUD Minister and the CRDA officials on Thursday, he asked them to design the logo of the capital with capital A and small I --Ai -- which will project the futuristic look of Amaravati, which once was the capital of Gods. “Every aspect and every part of the Capital City should reflect modern technology accessibility,” he asserted.
Taking potshots at the previous dispensation headed by YS Jagan Mohan Reddy, Naidu said Amaravati was completely neglected and ruined with sinister intentions. “Now, once again the Capital City construction works should be taken up expeditiously,” he stressed.
Taking stock of the construction of various buildings in the capital meant for government offices, he observed that there was no progress under the previous government, and even the G+7 building meant for the CRDA office was not completed. The officials should complete the building in the next 90 days and they should maintain high quality standards in the construction, besides using the latest technology, he said.
The previous YSRC regime had also ignored the Happy Nest project, which was taken up in 14 acres for those who want to live in the capital area. Recalling that the plots in the Happy Nest project were sold out in just one hour during the TDP regime, the officials informed the Chief Minister that since the previous government neglected it, the buyers went back. The Chief Minister directed them to immediately initiate steps to revive the project.
Maintaining that 3,558 acres still need to be acquired in the capital area, the Chief Minister said the farmers are coming forward to give their lands voluntarily. When the officials brought to the notice of Chief Minister certain hurdles in allotting developed plots to the farmers, he told them to address those issues on priority. He was informed that 60% of the forest clearance works were completed. Naidu advised them to use drones for assessing and supervising the forest clearance works.
Naidu further ordered the officials to take up the metro rail works in Visakhapatnam and Vijayawada expeditiously. AP Metro Rail Project Managing Director Ramakrishna Reddy informed him that the Visakhapatnam Metro Rail works will be completed in two phases, the first phase of 46 km with Rs 11,400 crore expenditure, and the second phase of 30 km with Rs 5,734 crore.
Naidu said the first phase of works in Visakhapatnam should be completed in the next four years, and Vijayawada metro rail works in an extent of 38 km with an outlay of Rs 11,000 crore should also be accelerated.
Later elaborating on the issues discussed in the review meeting, Narayana told the media that once completed, the G+7 building will house the CRDA, ADC and MAUDA offices. The estimated cost of Happy Nest, he said, has increased from Rs 714 crore to Rs 930 crore, but the government has decided to bear the excess as it was not the fault of the buyers but the previous government. A total of 12 towers with 1,200 units (G+18) will come up in 14.46 acres, he said.
The previous government failed to pay the annuity for the last fiscal, which was Rs 175 crore, and for the current fiscal it is Rs 225 crore. “After discussing with finance department officials, the Chief Minister has decided to first clear the pending annuity of Rs 175 crore on September 15, and also pay this year’s annuity at the earliest,” he said.
Once reports of expert teams of IIT Madras and IIT Hyderabad are submitted on the stability of the structures under construction in the capital city, all the loose ends will be tied up, tenders will be invited, and the works of the Capital City will commence on January 1. The master plan has been drafted in such a manner that in the next three decades, Amaravati, Vijayawada, Guntur and Mangalagiri will transform into one mega city, he explained.
Happy Nest project to be revived soon
The Chief Minister directed CRDA officials to initiate steps to revive Happy Nest project. The estimated cost of Happy Nest has increased from Rs 714 crore to Rs 930 crore, said MAUD Minister Narayana