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 it was complete within the deadlines fixed by the state, a statement from his office said.
Addressing a high-level review meeting, Naidu expressed dissatisfaction with the pace of certain contracting agencies. He also pulled up certain oficials over allegedly avoidable administrative and logistical lapses.
The meeting was attended by contractors involved in the capital construction works and senior officials from the departments concerned. Naidu enquired about progress in housing projects, roads, trunk infrastructure, land pooling scheme (LPS) amenities and iconic structures such as the assembly, high court, and secretariat complexes.
Officials of the AP capital region development authority (APCRDA) informed the chief minister that capital projects worth ₹57,821 crore are currently underway at various stages, of which projects worth ₹50,943 crore have already been grounded.
At present, around 20,000 workers and experts are engaged in capital construction works. Naidu reviewed the performance of each contractor, assessing progress against targets.
The CMO statement added that certain contractors brought the issue of manpower shortages spurred by assembly elections in other states, to which the chief minister advised the utilisation of locally available skilled manpower to the maximum extent possible.
{{/usCountry}}The CMO statement added that certain contractors brought the issue of manpower shortages spurred by assembly elections in other states, to which the chief minister advised the utilisation of locally available skilled manpower to the maximum extent possible.
{{/usCountry}}He ordered officials to ensure that there was no disruption in the supply of key construction material, and pulled up officials of the environment department for allegedly creating hurdles in the supply of supply of gravel and sand. He ordered that materials required for the capital’s construction be allowed to move through a “green channel” mechanism to avoid delays.
He said there should be no procedural and field-level hurdles so that construction agencies cannot cite material shortages as a reason for delay.
Apart from project delays, he also took serious note of the recent fire accidents reported in construction zones in Amaravati, and questioned the safety- preparedness and accountability of the contracting firms.
“In the prevailing political environment, some groups were ready to distort every issue for political gain, and therefore all agencies involved in Amaravati works should remain alert and proactive,” he said and questioned why agencies had not raised immediate alerts with the police on the fire accidents.
The chief minister warned that any negligence on the part of contractors would ultimately damage the government’s image. He ordered construction firms to appoint competent and efficient project managers to oversee works and ensure better coordination.
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