Amaravati: The Andhra Pradesh government has finalised the layouts of the proposed legislative assembly, high court, secretariat and the head of department office buildings in Amaravati.
The designs for the iconic buildings were prepared in 2018 by renowned London-based architecture firm Norman Foster and Partners. After it was decided to expedite the construction of the capital, a high-level meeting was held on the designs of the iconic buildings.
At the meeting, discussions were held on whether any changes are needed to be made in the designs that were prepared six years back or not. It was agreed that no changes should be made in the external structure, but a few internal changes would be made if necessary. The government feels that another year and a half will get wasted if extensive changes are made, sources said. Moreover, as the construction of the high court and secretariat towers has already been completed, it is believed that changing the structures is not feasible.
The Andhra Pradesh Capital Region Development Authority (CRDA) officials recently met the high court judges regarding the layout of the court building and took their feedback. Also, CRDA has invited tenders for the appointment of an architect to complete the pending work related to the designs of the iconic buildings.
Representatives of Norman Foster and Partners also attended the pre-bid meeting held on Monday. CRDA officials believe that the company has also submitted their bid. The bids will be opened and the architect will be finalised in three to four days, officials said.
The CRDA is also preparing to call for tenders for the construction of the high court and secretariat buildings as the experts of IIT Madras have certified that the foundations of the buildings are still strong.
Prior to 2019, none of the reputed companies that were involved in the construction of Amaravati during the TDP regime, are ready to give up if the opportunity arises. This is evident from the fact that Norman Foster and Partners is also interested in becoming a partner in the construction of Amaravati again.
Norman Foster and Partners is one of the foreign companies that faced many bitter experiences under previous Jagan Reddy government. Despite this, the company came forward, responding positively for Amaravati's construction. After attending yesterday's pre-bid meeting, it was learnt that the company is interested, CRDA officials said adding that once the tender is finalised, it will take some more time to complete the projects.
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