Andhra Pradesh Assembly Speaker Dr Kodela Siva Prasada Rao, who has been making herculean efforts to conduct assembly sessions in the state itself, not in Hyderabad, now waiting for completion of construction of Assembly and Legislative Council building to conduct winter session. The building is coming up on the premises of temporary secretariat at Velagapudi in the capital region of Amaravati.

Originally he in 2015 itself, he announced on the last day of monsoon session that would be the final sitting in Hyderabad and the next winter session will be conducted from here. He even makes proposals ready for construction of temporary sheds to conduct winter session.

However, Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu opposed the move stating it would be waste of resources to make temporary constructions for a five-day meet. Then, Kodela searched some private places like Haailand resort, Koneru Lakshamaiah Engineering College and also Nagarjuna University to conduct the session. The opposition and many ministers opposed the idea of conducting assembly session in private places.

This has forced Siva Prasada Rao to continue assembly sessions in Hyderabad only. Expecting that construction works will be completed by early December, 2016, he planned to held monsoon session in December last week. However, the contractors who were busy in getting ready chambers for Chief Ministers, ministers and senior officials, delaying this construction.

The Speaker said that if the building works are completed by the end of this month, the winter session will be conducted in the first week of February and the budget session in the last week. “As per tradition, we are in the practice of organising the Assembly session thrice. This time also, we will follow the tradition, if the works of the building complex are completed at the earliest. Otherwise, we will conduct the winter session along with the budget session,” he added.