The YSR Congress government did not clear the air on Thursday after a review meeting regarding the progress of works at Amaravati, the new capital. It was widely expected that the State government would come up with a categorical statement on the future of Amaravati in view of the controversy raging over the issue in the State for the past one week or so. Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy presided over the review meeting at Amaravati.

Municipal Administration Minister B Satyanarayana, who first triggered the controversy by saying that Amaravati was not the suitable site for the construction of the new capital, briefed the media after the meeting. He said the Chief Minister had been apprised by the officials of his department about the progress of works at Amaravati. “In fact, many of the works are in the first stage. The previous TDP government in a hurry awarded contracts worth ₹35,000 crore and we have cancelled them, as it was not properly done. We stated it in the past also and we are going for reverse tendering,” he added.

He said he was committed to the remarks he had made earlier that the construction cost would be very high at Amaravati and the issue was being re-examined. To repeated questions from the media on the future of Amaravati, he did not give a direct reply. He simply laughed it off, saying, “Simply wait and watch. You should not be in such a hurry.”

He again asserted that the capital belonged to the five crore of Andhras and "not to any region, or social group, or a particular group. We are committed to the development of all regions of the State.”

He said the annuity amount due to the farmers would be paid from Friday and they need not worry on the count.

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