VIJAYAWADA: Even as the State
government categorically stated that development of a capital city is
not its priority and that it will prefer a decentralised development
model for the progress of all regions, the Andhra Pradesh Capital Region
Development Authority (APCRDA) has informed the government that
creation of an identity for a new capital and its visibility on the
global map is ‘very much essential’ for the all-round growth of the
State.

While it has presented revised proposals
for several key projects, including the Amaravati Government Complex,
Land Pooling Scheme (LPS) layouts, and other infrastructure, it also
mentioned potential risks associated with downscaling the scope of
projects drastically.

“Creation of an identity for a new
capital is very much essential in terms of infrastructure and visibility
on the global map, which will create required impetus for the all-round
growth of the State,” the authority officials observed, in a
presentation made to the government.  

Even as speculation is rife that the
CRDA is looking for a new premises to house both Secretariat and Heads
of Department (HoD) offices, the authority suggested that the
five-towered structure, for which works have already begun, could be
taken up in a phased manner, based on requirement.

While it endorsed the presence of
Secretariat and Heads of Departments (HoD) offices in the same place,
noting that it will help in better interaction and disposal of duties,
it also pointed out at potential risks if the present scope — one
50-storied tower and four 40-storied towers — is drastically reduced.
“Drastic reduction of number of floors requires holistic approach and
assessment of its impact…In general, for any building, future vertical
extension is neither desirable nor advisable. Future extension of
towers to the extent of 20 to 25 floors at a future date will not be
feasible,” the presentation said, pointing out that deciding to build a
few floors now and expand it vertically later will take three-fold more
time that it would take to construct a building in one go.

In case it is decided at a later date
not to take up future extension, the authority reasoned, there would
have been huge and superfluous expenditure by then already made on the
foundations, structural elements and truck service infrastructure
required for entire structure. “Drastic changes in the accepted and
fully developed design may not be appreciated by the lead designers who
conceived them. They may totally withdraw from the project. In case of
their withdrawal from the project, their conceptual/schematic design may
not be utilised for further development or execution,” the authority
cautioned. In case only 10-storied buildings are to be constructed, the
entire floor scheme has to be redesigned, the officials said. The
five-towered Secretariat was designed by Foster + Partners.

For the record, the authority suggested
that three of the five towers, estimated to cost `3,132 crore, be taken
up in first phase, while the other two could be taken up based on
requirement.Same is the case with the LPS layouts where the scope was
reduced by deferring the execution of smart infrastructure so that the
cost could be brought down from `16,634 crore to `9,136 crore.