Naidu dissatisfied as Amaratavi works lag

THe twist of Andhra Pradesh’s working capital metropolis Amaravati, the stargaze contrive of chief minister N Chandrababu Naidu, is yet to gather pace, going by the status report submitted by officials at a review meeting on Monday.According to official figures, the physical progress of various government projects and infrastructure works stood at 31.9% as of June 28, against the government’s target of 53.8%, indicating a significant execution gap.An official familiar with the development said that during the review meeting with representatives of major contracting firms at the state secretariat, the chief minister expressed dissatisfaction over the slow pace of construction in Amaravati.Naidu reviewed the progress of key projects, including residential quarters for secretaries and senior officials, road networks, civic infrastructure, and the construction of the assembly, high court and secretariat complexes. He issued a series of directions to ensure timely completion while maintaining high construction standards.“The chief minister urged construction companies executing various projects in the capital region to consider themselves partners in building the state’s future and called for accelerated execution of works without compromising on quality,” an official statement from the chief minister’s office said.Naidu directed officials and contractors to complete the ongoing projects ahead of schedule wherever possible. He instructed that all necessary manpower, machinery and construction materials should be mobilised well in advance to ensure uninterrupted progress.Officials informed the chief minister that construction works worth ₹50,999 crore have already been awarded to various agencies. State municipal administration minister P Narayana told the meeting that 26,924 workers and more than 5,140 heavy machines are currently engaged in construction activities across Amaravati.Representatives of major contracting firms, including Larsen & Toubro (L&T), Shapoorji Pallonji, Megha Engineering & Infrastructures Ltd. (MEIL), NCC, BSR and KMV, attended the review meeting.According to the presentation made at the meeting, except for KMV Projects and MVR Infra, all other contractors are trailing their scheduled targets.KMV Projects recorded the highest progress at 37.8%, surpassing its target of 35.2%, while MVR Infra achieved 35.9% against a target of 34.5%.Among the other contractors, BSR Infratech reached 31.6% against its target of 41.5%, Shapoorji Pallonji reported 30.3% against 40.9%, NCC Ltd achieved 28.4% against 44.2%, RVR Projects stood at 25.8% against 38.7%, Larsen & Toubro recorded 24.8% against a target of 50.9%, and MEIL registered 20.5% against 34.8%.People familiar with the matter said that, at the current pace, it may not be possible to meet the government’s deadline of completing the major construction works by June 2028.“The authorities spent a considerable amount of time draining out water from the lands in the capital city during the last monsoon. This year, work will come to a halt if there are heavy rains,” an official said.The pace of development by institutions allotted land in the capital region has also remained slow. According to estimates, only about 10% of government and private organisations that received land have begun construction.Similarly, development of plots allotted to farmers under the Land Pooling Scheme (LPS) has not yet gathered momentum. Infrastructure in these layouts, comprising commercial and residential plots, must be completed and the plots handed over to farmers before meaningful construction activity can begin.“Farmer groups have also sought an increase in Floor Space Index (FSI) and resolution of other pending demands. The government has not taken any decision yet,” the official said.