Starting And Shelving

29 Oct 2016 7:15 PM

Capital groundbreaking ceremonies go on
Special poojas by Chandrababu's family at first
Groundbreaking for the second time by PM Narendra Modi
Third phase of groundbreaking by Minister Arun Jaitley
Traditional rituals for buildings lacking master plan
Crores of rupees going waste

Amaravati: Chandrababu who had boasted about his political experience at the time of making false promises during election canvassing is behaving strangely now. He is misusing public money without completing any programme since 2.5 years. All he did was starting and shelving. Politicising something for some time and soon after people forget about it, catching hold of some other issue to spend some more time has become a habit of Chandrababu. Particularly, the groundbreaking ceremonies for the capital city of AP state are going on again and again. On Friday, cabinet minister Arun Jaitley performed the groundbreaking ceremony for the third time at Amaravati, the first time having happened in the hands of Chandrababu's family members and the second time by PM Narendra Modi. Now is the turn of Arun Jaitley. This has been done for the capital's permanent administrative structures. Here is the catch. The buildings do not even have a proper master plan yet. Tenders were called 3 days ago for designing the buildings' architecture. Huge amount of public money was spent for the programmes taken up 3 times. Chandrababu has earlier done the same thing with pattiseema scheme.

It seems levelling the soil is also construction
Clear orders have been issued to educational institutions in Guntur District to send buses and students to the groundbreaking ceremony. It was announced that construction work would start from the 1st of November. When CRDA officials were asked how work would be started without proper design in mind, they stated that leveling the soil was also part of construction. CM Chandrababu performed Pooja on the 6th of June in 2015 in Tallayapalem area. In the same year, on the 22nd of October another groundbreaking ceremony was performed by PM Narendra Modi. The goverment specified that both the ceremonies were for the construction of the capital city. Now groundbreaking is being performed for the third time and it is being said that administrative buildings would be constructed in this area. CRDA officials are explaining that levelling of soil and laying of roads would be taken up now and the plan would be ready meanwhile, as it would take one month time to finalize the plan and 3 more months to call for tenders.

Land allocation is the main aim
Right now, the lands that are supposed to be given to CRDA are being allocated to private companies. VIT has recently paid Rs.50 crore by cheque. 200 acres of land are supposed to be given to it in two equal shifts. SRM company also came forward to pay money. Sensing that resistance would arise if the work of those private companies began before the government's work, the government is pretending to have started work with its offices.

What happened to all those funds?
Everyone including BJP activists are wondering what happened to the Rs 2 lakh crore announced by Arun Jaitley to have been sanctioned. The construction of the capital city does not seem to have crossed the level of foundation stone. Poll promises such as waiver of agricultural and DWCRA loans and provision of stipend to the unemployed have not been kept either. CM Chandrababu is answerable to all these doubts.