Temporary Capital idea put on hold for now
HYDERABAD: The Andhra Pradesh government is understood to be having second thoughts about its earlier decision of relocating some Heads of Departments (HoDs) and government offices from Hyderabad to the temporary capital being proposed at Amaravati Township Layout, near Mangalagiri in Guntur district, by coming June.
According to sources, Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu is of the view that it is better for the government to hold the proposal till the Singapore government submits the master plan of the new capital city to it so that precious public money, which will be spent on the construction of the temporary capital, could be judiciously utilised.
'There is an argument among some ministers that it is better to wait till the blueprint for the core capital city is readied by the Singapore government to begin the construction works of the temporary capital.
The reason is that nobody knows where the administrative blocks, commercial clusters, residential areas and parks will be located in the 30,000 acres of land that is earmarked for the core capital till the master plan is drafted,' a senior official said.
Though the State government recently appointed a consultant to prepare the Master Plan and Drawings for the temporary capital with a view to making the temporary seat of power operational by coming June, the latest thinking in the government is said to be that it would not be wise to construct the buildings with prefabricated superstructure with a total carpet area of 5,00,000 sq ft at the Amaravathi Township Layout without knowing the master plan for the core capital.
'If we construct the temporary capital without knowing the master plan for the new capital city, then this investment of `100 crore on temporary seat of power might go waste if the area falls under residential zone or commercial clusters in the final master plan of the new capital,' said a source.
Secretariat employees too made it clear to the government that they would go to the temporary capital only after the government builds quarters for them at that place.
News Posted: 12 February, 2015
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