High Court slams Andhra government over delay in capital city construction
Bench says even a cup of tea is not available in the High Court
Hyderabad: The dilly-dallying by Y.S. Jaganmohan Reddy government in constructing the new Andhra Pradesh capital Amarvati has infuriated the state High Court and a division bench headed by Chief Justice J.K. Maheshwari issuing a stern warning to the state government against any further delay.
Hearing a batch of petitions challenging the ‘Swiss Challenge’ policy adopted by the government in deciding the contracts for the public works the bench directed the government to file its counter within two weeks explaining what it intends to do about the lack of facilities in the capital.
“Even a cup of tea is not available in the High Court,” the bench observed pointing out the lack of facilities in the under-development capital city.
“The High Court is facing many serious problems. We are coming here with a great deal of difficulty. There is no place for advocates to park their cars. There is no place even to sit. Facilities exists only in the name. We are receiving complaints from the lawyers every day. There are no houses for the judges and they are staying in guesthouses. How long they can stay like this?” the Chief Justice said asking the government to fulfil its commitment of providing all the necessary facilities.
The High Court was functioning out of a temporary building pending the construction of a permanent building. Similarly the state secretariat and the state assembly was also functioning out of makeshift buildings.
While the capital city construction works were progressing briskly till N. Chandrababu Naidu led government was in power before May this year, all the works had come to a stand still after Reddy’s YSR Congress party came to power.
“If you don’t complete the work, we will see to it that you are forced to carry out the works,” the chief justice said taking a serious note of the situation.
The High Court asked the government to make its views on Swiss Challenge method clear and it was not proper to further delay the matter.
The petitions against Swiss Challenge method were filed by Foundation for Social Awareness, former Chief Secretary I.Y.R. Krishna Rao and former MP U. Arun Kumar.
Senior counsel Kasa Jaganmohan Reddy representing the state government argued that the petitioners had challenge the Swiss Challenge method of awarding contracts and they had nothing to do with the construction of capital. However, the bench rejected it saying the court was extending the petitions to the capital city works. The bench made it clear that it will not give more time to the government to file its counter and pass the order keeping in view the interest of the judiciary. “If it wants the government can challenge the orders in the Supreme Court,” the bench said.