Is there any agenda hidden in the sudden rush of Andhra Pradesh government to construct the temporary capital in Amaravati township near Mangalagiri?
Today, the state government issued a GO authorizing the Commissioner, capital region development authority (CRDA), to initiate the process for the construction of makeshift capital at a cost of Rs 180 crore.
As the GO came out just 48 hours after the release of master plan of capital Amaravati, one can safely hazard a guess that Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu is not confident of building the capital by 2018.
Why the state government is in such a hurry to complete the building by June 30,2016 and shift all the departments to Vijayawada? Doubts are being raised over the genuineness of the motive behind the sudden decision to construct the 6 lakh sft space to provide accommodation to the offices for various departments in the state government.
For late comers, this is not first time that state government decided to construct the make shift arrangement for secretariat at the same place and with almost same size. Exactly one year ago, on January 2 (Friday), the Incap, invited expression of interest from the interested parties to design and construct a makeshift secretariat at the same place near Mangalagiri. Then, the Incap wanted to construct 5 lack sft and wanted the developers to complete the building before end of July, 2015.
The process began and a committee had been appointed to scrutiny the bids. But nothing was heard of it after that. Sources said the government had decided to put the project on hold following criticism from the opposition parties that what was the need to spend so much of money on temporary structure when on one side government wants to construct the capital by 2018, and on the other, AP has the right to continue in Hyderabad till 2024.
The criticism was that the government was planning to entrust the work with a prefab company known to powers that be.
After one year, when the 2018 deadline is just two years away, why chief minister Naidu’s government has revived the project?
Is construction of seed capital is getting delayed?
Around same time of the release of the GO today, chief minister Naidu was listing out the problems the state government was facing such as no capital city, no money etc. He as addressing a program neeru -meeru in Anantapur. He painted a dismal picture of the state finances which he said was the result of bifurcation of Andhra Pradesh.
Then, why should a responsible government spend about Rs 180 crore on temporary structures which have to be vacated just one and half year later.
Isn’t it the repetition of Polavaram-Pattiseema mistake?
Pattiseema project was taken up even though the government is committed to complete the Polavaram by 2018. And the project, constructed at a cost of Rs 13,00 crore, has to be abandoned on completion of Polavaram.
Now Polavaram is not moving and it may not become reality until Odisha permits it. BJP’s NDA government doesn’t want to rub Naveen Patnaik, CM of Odisha, on wrong side after the Bihar polls.
Similarly, temporary secretariat is being taken up at a cost of Rs 180 crore. And it will have to be abandoned once the seed capital is ready by 2018. Why waste so much many in the name of administrative convenience, where you are committed to construct the capital by 2018? Many suspect, like fiber gird contract, this temporary secretariat contract also is being planned to help some ‘near and dear’ of powers that be.
The temporary secretariat may be Naidu’s saving grace for Amaravati, which is unlikely to take off as per the schedule announced by Naidu himself.
