VIJAYAWADA: Prime Minister Narendra Modi will lay the foundation stone and inaugurate projects worth nearly Rs 1 lakh crore during his visit to Amaravati on May 2, officials confirmed on Monday.
The coalition government has finalised contractors for major projects, including the Secretariat, Assembly and High Court buildings, and is preparing to commence work immediately after the formal relaunch by the PM. .
A Cabinet sub-committee comprising Finance Minister Payyavula Keshav, Municipal Minister Ponguru Narayana, and Civil Supplies Minister Nadendla Manohar reviewed the preparations in Vijayawada on Monday.
Speaking on the occasion, Payyavula Keshav urged officials from all departments to coordinate to make and ensure that PM’s visit a grand success.
Calling Amaravati a ‘self-financing project’, he said it would not cause an additional burden on the State’s exchequer. He emphasised the importance of ensuring food, drinking water and other basic facilities for attendees and instructed officials to upgrade the roads leading to the event venue.
Narayana instructed officials to take steps to prevent traffic congestion. Referring to past incidents during the PM’s visits to Chilakaluripet and Visakhapatnam, he called for stringent safety precautions. Manohar said all political leaders will be invited to attend the public meeting scheduled between 4 pm and 5 pm, which is expected to draw a crowd of around 5 lakh.
Cong & Left parties plan black flag demonstration
Drawing parallels to the unfulfilled promise of Special Category Status (SCS), Shivaji said, “If they were sincere, they would have amended the AP Reorganisation Act to include Special Category Status, just like they amended the Waqf Act. But they never cared.”
He also criticised the silence of NDA partners, particularly TDP chief N Chandrababu Naidu, and demanded clarity from the Centre regarding its financial package for Amaravati and the future of the Visakhapatnam Steel Plant.
The APCC vice-president said the Congress party, farmer leader Vadde Shobanadreswara Rao, Left parties, and minority groups opposing the recently passed Waqf Amendment Bill are united in their stand.
“We are planning a peaceful black flag demonstration at Dharna Chowk in Vijayawada on May 2. Ahead of that, a roundtable will be held in the city,” he added.