A crucial meeting of the State Cabinet under the chairmanship of Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao is slated for Wednesday to take a final decision on the plan for construction of the new secretariat complex.
Dismantling of the old secretariat buildings has almost been completed, but for few floors of the J and L blocks, and the Cabinet is expected to give a go ahead for calling tenders for construction of a new complex. Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao has formally approved the design of the new complex prepared by Chennai-based firm Oscar and Ponni Architects, suggesting some changes in the structure of the new complex like higher elevation in the front portion.
The Chief Minister reviewed the design of the new complex with the architects recently. There is no clarity yet on whether the complex would have six floors with total built up area of 6 lakh square feet as expected earlier or whether another floor would be added to the existing design. The Cabinet is expected to take a final call on the issue after which tenders would be invited for taking up construction works at an estimated cost of ₹ 400 crore.
Further, the Cabinet is expected to review the implementation of regulated farming that was preferred instead of the traditional methods to ensure remunerative prices to the farmers’ produce. A brainchild of the Chief Minister, the concept of the regulated farming involves taking up cultivation of crops which have demand in the market rather than opting for traditional cropping patterns which hitherto resulted in uncertainty over the returns to farmers.
Barring sporadic protests by a minor section, regulated cropping has been welcomed by a majority of farmers and they opted for crops that will help them secure guaranteed returns. The Cabinet is likely to discuss about the marketing channels that should be activated as also the need for district-level action plans to ensure that harvested crops reach market in stipulated time so that there is no glut.
The Chief Minister is also expected to review the situation arising out of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic whose incidence has been rising in the districts, which hitherto were not affected. The Council of Ministers is likely to examine the situation threadbare and take a call on the recommencement of the academic calendar. This apart, the meeting will review the works on the major irrigation projects like Kaleshwaram where works have been fast tracked and the manner in which a strong case could be presented before the Apex Council in sharing of Krishna water with neighbouring Andhra Pradesh to protect the interests of the State.
