Amaravati, April 4 Construction projects worth nearly Rs 51,000 crore have been initiated in the Greenfield city of Amaravati, officials informed Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu on Saturday.
During a review meeting with officials and construction agencies at his office, the chief minister emphasised that all works should be executed at a faster pace so that the Prime Minister can inaugurate the projects.
"Officials informed the chief minister that capital works worth Rs 57,821 crore are currently underway at various stages, out of which projects worth Rs 50,943 crore have already been initiated," an official release said.
Instructing officials to continuously monitor and ensure timely completion, the CM took stock of the progress made in housing, roads, trunk infrastructure, LPS (land pooling scheme) amenities, and iconic structures such as the Assembly, High Court, and Secretariat buildings.
Naidu reviewed the performance of each contractor, assessing progress against targets and expressed "disappointment with delays by certain agencies."
Meanwhile, contractors highlighted manpower shortages due to the ongoing elections in various states, resulting in workers returning to their native places to exercise their franchise. The CM advised them to utilise locally available skilled manpower to the maximum extent, the release said.
Around 20,000 workers and experts are currently engaged in capital construction work.
Further, Naidu called for weekly and monthly targets to be set and strictly adhered to, adding that "there is no shortage of funds for (the) capital construction" and urged the contractors handling multiple projects to speed up the works.
He emphasised quality, cost-effectiveness, and the adoption of green energy and advanced technologies in construction.
The CM expressed strong displeasure over the "negligence" of construction agencies in safeguarding materials, alluding to the recent fire accidents in the Greenfield capital city. Such lapses are bringing criticism upon the government, he said, and noted that both contractors and officials failed to respond adequately to the recent incidents.
He warned that in a "politically sensitive environment, even minor lapses could be exploited."
Naidu instructed that immediate alerts should be issued in case of any untoward incidents and emphasised the need for appointing competent project managers.
He made it clear that negligence will not be tolerated under any circumstances, and directed officials to ensure an uninterrupted supply of sand and gravel required for capital works.
Stressing that shortages must not cause delays, Naidu warned that strict action would be taken against anyone creating hurdles and instructed senior officials to coordinate with the collectors of Krishna, Guntur, and NTR districts to resolve the issues immediately.