Jungle clearance begins in Amaravati, marks restart of capital development 

The Capital News

The long-awaited jungle clearance work in Amaravati commenced on Wednesday morning, marking a significant step in the revitalization of Andhra Pradesh’s capital. The initiative was officially launched by Municipal Urban Development Minister P Narayana, who inaugurated the project aimed at clearing the dense overgrowth that has accumulated over the past five years. To facilitate the jungle clearance, the CRDA officials called for tenders amounting to Rs 36.50 crore, which were recently finalized.

The contract was awarded to NCCL, which began the clearance work from the N9 road behind the Secretariat. The State government has set a target to clear all 58,000 acres within a month. Minister Narayana emphasized that this effort will provide land allottees with a clear understanding of their designated plots. The clearance will focus on areas earmarked for government complexes, Land Pooling Scheme (LPS) infra zones, and trunk infra areas, removing the dense vegetation and barbed wire that have overrun these zones.

Construction in Amaravati had come to a complete standstill, leading to significant overgrowth in the area. The once-promising capital development had been stalled for the last five years, resulting in the proliferation of mad trees and weeds. This jungle clearance marks the first major effort to revive the capital’s development under the current administration. After the formation of the TDP coalition government, Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu had prioritized the development of Amaravati as the state capital.

The initial steps for Amaravati’s construction were taken during his tenure, but the project saw little progress in recent years. The current overgrown state of the capital necessitates a substantial effort and expenditure to clear the land and prepare it for further development.

Speaking to the media at the CRDA office, Minister Narayana highlighted that the jungle clearance is being conducted on a war footing and will simultaneously start across all 99 divisions within the capital. The comprehensive jungle clearance is expected to be completed within a month, paving the way for renewed construction and development activities in Amaravati.