Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu on Saturday took note of inordinate delays in projects currently underway in the state capital Amaravati and ordered contractors and officials to expedite the work to ensure its completion within the deadlines set by the state, a statement issued by his office said.
Addressing a high-level review meeting, Naidu expressed dissatisfaction with the pace of some contracting agencies. He also suspended some officials for administrative and logistical lapses that could have been avoided.
The meeting was attended by a number of contractors participating in the construction work of the capital and senior officials in the relevant departments. Naidu inquired about the progress of housing projects, roads, major infrastructure, Land Pool Scheme (LPS) facilities and landmark structures like Assembly complexes, Supreme Court and Secretariat.
AP Capital Region Development Authority (APCRDA) officials informed the chief minister that capital projects are worthy $Currently, Rs 57,821 crore worth of projects are being implemented in various phases, of which Rs $Rs 50,943 crore has already been discontinued.
At present, about 20 thousand workers and experts are involved in capital construction works. Naidu reviewed each contractor’s performance, assessing progress against targets.
The Prime Minister’s statement added that some contractors raised the issue of manpower shortage arising from assembly elections in other states, to which the Prime Minister advised to utilize locally available skilled manpower to the maximum extent possible.
He ordered officials to ensure that there was no interruption in the supply of key construction materials, and recalled officials from the Environment Department for allegedly creating obstacles in the supply of gravel and sand. He ordered that the materials needed to build the capital be allowed to move through the “Green Channel” mechanism to avoid delays.
He said there should be no procedural or field-level hurdles so that construction agencies cannot cite material shortages as a reason for delays.
Apart from the project delays, he took serious note of the recent fire incidents reported in construction areas in Amaravati, and questioned the preparedness of construction companies for safety and accountability.
“In the prevailing political environment, some groups were ready to distort every issue for political gains and hence all agencies involved in the Amaravati works must remain alert and proactive,” he said and wondered why the agencies had not raised immediate alerts to the police about the fire incidents.
The Prime Minister warned that any negligence on the part of contractors would ultimately harm the government’s image. He ordered construction companies to appoint competent and effective project managers to supervise the works and ensure better coordination.
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