YSRCP leader Sake Sailajanath alleged large-scale cost escalation in Amaravati construction and claimed the MAVIGUN model would ensure balanced regional development.
Tadepalli: Former Minister and YSR Congress Party (YSRCP) leader Sake Sailajanath on Thursday alleged that the sharp escalation in the cost of Amaravati construction projects reflected large-scale irregularities and demanded that the State Government explain the increase in expenditure.
Addressing a press conference at the YSRCP Central Office in Tadepalli, Sailajanath said the party was not opposed to Amaravati as the State capital but objected to what he described as excessive public spending on the project. He reiterated that YSRCP president Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy's proposed MAVIGUN model would provide a more balanced and sustainable approach to capital development.
Sailajanath questioned the increase in construction costs for government buildings covering 52.20 lakh square feet. He claimed that contracts awarded during 2017-18 to NCC, Shapoorji Pallonji and L&T were originally valued at Rs.2,271.14 crore, but the same projects had now risen to Rs.4,354.43 crore, despite being executed by the same companies. He alleged that the cost had increased by more than Rs.2,033 crore without adequate justification.
He also compared the project with Central Government construction works, claiming that while Central projects were being executed at around Rs.4,645 per square foot, the Andhra Pradesh Government was spending nearly Rs.20,427 per square foot for Amaravati buildings. He questioned the need for additional expenditure on glass façades, electrical systems, plumbing and other infrastructure despite concessions such as free sand and tax exemptions.
The former minister further alleged that the government had already borrowed nearly Rs.60,000 crore for Amaravati and was planning to incur additional expenditure of almost Rs.2 lakh crore on land acquisition and infrastructure development.
Sailajanath argued that the same resources could instead be utilised to complete pending irrigation projects in Rayalaseema and North Andhra. He maintained that the proposed MAVIGUN region, stretching from Machilipatnam to Guntur, possessed the infrastructure, connectivity and economic potential to serve as a sustainable growth engine for Andhra Pradesh.
