Chandrababu's temporary capital plan for AP scrapped

Shifting of administration to Andhra region ahead of construction of the state capital will be impossible. Right now or in two to three years there will be no infrastructure - residential quarters and schools, colleges, market and transport, recreation—to meet the demand of employees, visitors, trade and healthcare.

Besides, it costs a whopping Rs. 750 crore for the temporary capital infrastructure including temporary sheds for office, telecom, computers, maintenance and also special allowances for all 20,000 plus employees for the period of temporary assignment.

That is part of the 45-page confidential report submitted to the cabinet that has driven the Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu to dump the plans to shift the administrative operations on temporary infrastructure to AP region. And the decision for joint capital was taken in view of all these hurdles."It has taken us 12 months to know what is what and will take another 6 months for bifurcation of employees, and may be another 12 months for division of assets etc," Naidu told the cabinet.

"From where can we find 35,000 houses, dozens of schools and colleges at such a short notice,” asked a member of the committee which scouted the region for a week and came out with a report that it is best to wait for a year or two till the Singapore master plan took roots."Besides we have to provide accommodation to nearly 2500 of the Singapore and Japanese construction workers," he said.

We are aware of the pinpricks and hurdles from the resident state of Telangana, but we have no alternative. To build a strong and resilient AP we have to suffer all humiliation, insults and deliberate problems posed on us by the Telangana Government till we are ready, Naidu informed the cabinet.

Naidu told the cabinet that he was ready to work from under a tree, but government staff would need homes. The government is pushing for Wi-Fi and OFC ahead of other work to install working practices. “Even I am keen to run the administration from Vijayawada and my camp office is ready. I am willing to work under a tree in the capital city area," says Naidu.

Satya Vani Projects and Consultants Private Limited (SVPCPL) of Mega Krishna Reddy group which bagged the contract to prepare the master plan and design the temporary capital ( also contractors for Pattiseema ) has also not received any orders to go ahead and construct the temporary capital buildings, said its director P. Surya Prakash.

The Chief Minister has also suggested to the Singapore government to include government employees’ office and residential quarters in the first phase of the capital city's master plan that is targeted to be completed before the 2019 elections.

Secretary General of joint action committee of AP government Employees and teachers, N. Chandrasekhar Reddy says that though the employees too were willing to “work under trees”, their families needed shelter and children schools.

However, some of the people centric departments - education, irrigation and revenue and also CMRF are being shifted to AP region to reduce the floating of beneficiaries to Hyderabad.