Team News Riveting
Raipur, May 13
The Chhattisgarh government led by Congress today announced to terminate the on-going projects in Nava Raipur citing the causes of COVID-19 and fiscal crises.
The projects include a new building of Chhattisgarh Vidhan Sabha. Congress President Sonia Gandhi and Vice President Rahul Gandhi had laid the foundation stone for the Vidhan Sabha building besides other projects in November 2019. However, the construction work of Vidhan Sabha had reportedly not yet started.
“In view of the circumstances arising in the state due to coronavirus infection, the Chhattisgarh government has stopped construction works of all major projects with immediate effect and also decided to take even more stringent measures for austerity,” a statement issued by the state government said.
The Chief Engineer of the Public Works Department has issued orders to the contractors to stop the construction work of the new Raj Bhavan, new CM House, Ministers and senior officials, new circuit house under construction in Nava Raipur with immediate effect. Along with this, the previously issued tenders for the construction of Rs 245 crore 16 lakh and Rs 118 crore works for the new assembly building in Sector-19 have been cancelled with immediate effect.
The sudden decision of the state government had come as a big surprise for the real estate and infrastructure sectors. The timing of the decision had however raised scepticisms as the Congress had been opposing the Central Vista plan that would facilitate construction of a new parliament building and prime minister’s office in the National Capital. The projects cancelled in Chhattisgarh, coincidentally, include Assembly and CM house.
“The fiscal health of the state has not been good for the last long time while the COVID-19 crises had been prevailing for the last one year; then why now the decision was taken to terminate the projects?” quizzed one expert. Had the state government being concerned about the exchequer, it could have suspended other projects also, he added.
The ruling Congress however endorsed it. Party spokesperson Sushil Mohan Shukla demanded that the Central Vista plan should be immediately cancelled as the Centre should take a leaf out of Chhattisgarh government’s decision.
