AP Secretariat gets green signal

Vijayawada: The Centre has issued clearance for the proposed temporary secretariat building which will come up at Velagapudi in the capital region. The new building is set to come up in 49.129 acres in the village with Secretariat, Assembly Hall, and the Chief Minister’s Office.

The AP Capital Region Development Authority (CRDA) commissioner Dr N Srikanth here on Monday said that they had secured clearance for the temporary building. The Union Ministry of Environment, Forest, and Climate Change had issued the environmental clearance on February 9, he said.

The Andhra Pradesh State Environment Impact Assessment Authority had already cleared the proposal based on which the Centre too had issued the certificate, he added. The State Expert Appraisal Committee members held two rounds of meetings with the CRDA experts twice on January 23 and February 6, on the proposal and gave a detailed presentation.

The experts, after thoroughly studying the proposal, recommended environmental clearance for the project, the Commissioner said. The temporary building will have 58,655.43 square metres built up area of which 23,587 square metres would be left for green belt.

The terrace of the building would have solar power systems that would supply power for every office in the building. The building would also have enough parking for the employees and visitors, besides a green cover to prevent air and sound pollution. The CRDA had also proposed a sewerage treatment plant (STP) in the building.

The State government, which is bent on shifting the administration to the new capital by June this year, is moving at a greater speed to make the required arrangements.