Govt to continue Amaravati capital works despite PM’s suggestion: Narayana

Vijayawada: The state govt has decided to continue construction works in the Amaravati capital region despite the prime minister’s general suggestion to defer major construction activities for a year in view of prevailing conditions. Speaking to the media here after the cabinet sub-committee meeting on Friday, municipal administration minister P Narayana said that halting the capital project again would severely affect thousands of farmers who parted with their lands for the capital city.Narayana said the govt was committed to continuing the capital construction works as nearly 29,000 farmers had voluntarily given their lands with great hopes for the development of the greenfield capital. The minister said Amaravati works had already remained stalled for the last five years, and any further delay would cause hardship to farmers who have been waiting for the revival of the capital city project. “The prime minister advised postponement of heavy construction works for one year, considering the present circumstances. However, Amaravati is the state capital, and we are continuing the works keeping farmers’ interests in mind,” he said.Narayana clarified that there was no shortage of diesel for the ongoing capital construction works and the govt was ensuring uninterrupted execution of projects in Amaravati. Narayana said the govt had so far allotted 1,269 acres to 114 organisations in the capital region. Of these, 70 are govt institutions while 44 are private organisations.He said three institutions had cancelled their allocations due to various reasons, while three others were allotted alternative land parcels instead of the sites originally allotted to them. The minister also revealed that representatives from Mumbai-based film industry groups had recently approached the govt seeking land allocations in Amaravati. He said the govt was carefully scrutinising applications and seeking financial statements and balance sheets from companies before considering allotments. The cabinet sub-committee meeting was attended by ministers Payyavula Keshav, T G Bharath, Kandula Durgesh, Kollu Ravindra and Gummidi Sandhya Rani.