Vijayawada: Flyover contractor ‘blocks’ stadium work

Vijayawada: Construction of the stadium at Vidyadharapuram has started yet, despite the Central government releasing Rs 1.5 crore of the Rs 6 crore sanctioned by it. The reason is simple – officials are unable to evict the Soma, the company that is carrying out the construction works of the Kanakadurga flyover from the site.

Soma Company had earlier been allowed to carry out the flyover work from the site, located at Vidyadharapuram, on a “temporary” basis.

Accordingly, the contractor is using the site to mix concrete for the flyover and is seemingly not interested to vacate it for the District Sports Authority.

The Authority was allocated the 7.8 acres for the stadium and the foundation was laid by former chief minister N. Chandrababu Naidu four years ago. Sources said that before the TD government, the Congress government also laid a foundation at the same place for the construction of the stadium.

With the Sports Authority unable to get its hands on the site, sportspersons are becoming increasingly worried about the delay and fear that the funds released by the Central government will lapse.

According to sources, the land was allocated to Soma Company to establish a concrete mixing plant for the construction of Kanakadurga flyover on oral instructions of the then collector Babu A. on the directions of the previous TD government.
Since the flyover work is incomplete, the contractor company are not interested to vacate the land.

Meanwhile, sportspersons continue to face problems practising due to lack of sufficient facilities in the two indoor and two outdoor stadiums.

The Sports Authority of Andhra Pradesh (SAAP) had earlier sent a proposal for construction of a stadium in the state at a cost of `25 crore and is waiting for approval.

Recently, district STEP CEO and deputy collector K. Jhansi Lakshmi and Tahsildar B. Suguna visited the site and asked the representatives of Soma Company to vacate the land immediately.

Ms Jhansi Lakshmi said that they gave the company 15 days to vacate the site as they have to hand it over to the SAAP.

State sports officer V. Nagaraju said that Soma Company has assured him that it would vacate the site in a month and the work on the stadium would start soon after.

“There is no need to worry about the funding from the Central government lapsing. We will begin work soon. We are taking steps to get the land vacated,” he said.