AMARAVATI: The Pushkar ghat works are still incomplete on the banks of Krishna river despite having only five days for the starting of Krishna Pushkaralu and it is worrying the public.
The government first put July 25 as the deadline for completion of works of Krishna Pushkaralu but later the deadline was extended to July-end. Despite passing of August first, the works of longest- Pushkar ghat at old Amaravati is still incomplete and works completed only up to 50 to 75 per cent in other ghats. The public are demanding completion of Pushkar ghat works and providing all basic amenities to the devotees during Krishna Pushkaralu.
The state government took Krishna Pushkaralu as a prestigious programme and Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu also inspected the works several times directing the officials to speed up the works. The biggest ghat of Krishna Pushkaralu has been proposed at old Amaravati with a length of 1.5 km connecting the Amareswara temple ghat from Dhayana Buddha statue. A temple complex with replicas of eight famous temples of AP were also constructed between Dhyana Buddha statue and Amareswara temple but the longest ghat works are still progressing at a slow pace. Only the Tallayapalem Pushkar ghat was completed and rest of ghats including important Seethanagaram ghat works are still going on.
As many as 80 Pushkar ghats were proposed on the side of Guntur district on the banks of Krishna river and the government sanctioned Rs 205 crore for Pushkar ghat works and 50-70 per cent were completed in the majority ghats. The 1.5 km new ghat at Dhyana Buddha statue is the biggest ghat where only 60 per cent works were completed. Amaravati Development Authority chairman J. Veeranjaneyulu said that ancient Amaravati pushkar ghat is treated as a holy one, and so the public in lakhs would visit old Amaravati.
Contractor: Completion of works in 5 days not possible
AP state government’s Rs 1,600 crore mega project Krishna Pushkaralu starting on August 12 is not yet ready for catering to the flow of common pilgrims. The Chief Minister is busy in inviting the national and international dignitaries. Collectors and government officials are busy in making plans for receiving VIPs ,VVIPS and political leaders of the state, but they forgot that the bathing ghats for the common pilgrims are not yet ready, except some ghats on the banks of river Krishna.
One-kilometre-long Pushkar ghats constructed at Seethanagaram in Tadepalli are likely to witness more number of footfalls during the 12-day festival. The alignment of the ghats in Seetanagaram is not done properly and the quality of the tiles used is sub-standard. The tiles arranged at the ghats are uneven and the height of each step is too high.
These bathing ghats would be temporary assets of the city and are not in a standard to witness all the 12 days of the fete. The ghats constructed are not provided with barricades. Krishna Pushkaralu is just five days away and not even 70 per cent of the works have been completed. The contractors and officials are in confusion that it’s impossible for them to complete all the works in five days.
Officials are leaving out the common pilgrim’s amenities at the ghats which cannot be completed in five days, and are concentrating on the VVIPs ghats and works of the Model Guest House which is being made into Command Control Room from where the Chief Minister would be taking stock of Pushkaralu. The gvernment is concentrating on the publicity but lagging in providing the basic facilities at the bathing ghats and provided amenities are not worthy for the common pilgrims.
“We cannot complete the pending ghat works in five days. Delay was only because of the pending bills from the government. I agree that the quality of the works done is poor as it was done in a hurry,” says contractor Prasad Reddy. “Six ghats out of 13 ghats in Seethanagaram have to be closed as the works are still pending and it’s impossible to complete the pending works in time,” says an official monitoring the ghat works, on condition of anonimity.
