Amaravati works back on fast track: Narayana

Vijayawada: Ministerfor municipal administration and urban development P Narayana on Friday asserted that works in Amaravati are progressing at full scale, reiterating the government’s commitment to develop the capital city with world-class infrastructure and long-term planning. He said the Capital Region Development Authority (CRDA) is redesigning and executing infrastructure works across all 29 capital villages, keeping future population growth up to 2058 in mind.

Speaking to the media during his visit to Nelapadu village, Narayana said tenders worth Rs 48,000 crore were originally called in 2019, of which works worth about Rs 9,000 crore were completed.

He alleged that the previous YSRCP government neglected Amaravati, kept payments of nearly Rs 3,000 crore pending and neither cancelled nor completed several contracts, leading to delays.

After the present government assumed office, fresh tenders were invited and stalled works were revived, he said, adding that rains had also halted construction for nearly two months.

Narayana explained that village roads would be levelled in accordance with the levels of ongoing capital works and assured that comprehensive facilities, including stormwater drains, drinking water supply and road networks, would be provided across Amaravati. He noted that resolving contractors’ issues took some time but said execution has now gathered pace. The minister said he would revisit the villages after two months to review progress.

Pointing to the improved connectivity, the minister referred to the opening of a 1.5-km stretch of the Seed Access Road, stating that each milestone was bringing Amaravati closer to becoming a faster, safer and future-ready capital.

He said steady progress on the Amaravati Seed Capital Road (E3), including the Guntur Canal steel bridge scheduled for completion by January 31, 2026, would significantly enhance connectivity with Vijayawada.

Earlier, Narayana and MLA T Sravan Kumar participated in gram sabhas at Nelapadu and Malkapuram villages, where public opinion was gathered on local infrastructure requirements.