HC calls for expenditure details on Amaravati

The farmers of Amaravati have been trying hard to put up a strong argument in the state high court to see that the capital is retained at Amaravati.

On Thursday, the counsel for the Amaravati farmers brought to the notice of the court that projects worth Rs 52,000 crore were in various stages of construction in Amaravati region and all this money would go down the drain if the executive capital was shifted to Visakhapatnam.

The counsel produced an expenditure statement of AP Capital Region Development Authority in the high court to support his argument. 

The three-member bench of the high court took serious note of this statement and sought to know from the state government as to how much money had been spent on Amaravati capital so far and what works that had been taken up had been halted.

The bench wondered whether this huge amount of public money would have to go waste if the capital was shifted.

“Is it not a drain on the state exchequer? How many buildings have been completed? How many have come to a halt? How much money was spent on these structures? How much money is still to be paid to the contractors?” it asked.

It also sought to know why the completed buildings had not been used, as it would result in their dilapidation.

“Where has this money come from? And who will bear this loss?” the court asked.

The bench asked the government to serve notices on the state accountant general to furnish all the details and posted the case to August 14.

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