VISAKHAPATNAM: The state government’s efforts to set up a hill resort to boost tourism at Lammasingi, Andhra Pradesh’s Kashmir, are receiving severe jolts as the contractors are not coming forward to take up the works citing delay in payments.
Generally, contractors would not come forward for any work in tribal areas as they allege bills would not be passed in time. But the government has now focussed on the development of tourism places.
It may be recalled that the AP Tourism Development Corporation (APTDC) had planned a resort at Lammasingi with an estimated cost of 5 crore and started work in 2018. “We are trying to complete works as early as possible. Around 70% to 75% of the work has been completed. The APTDC is trying to get another contractor to complete the remaining work. Meanwhile, we are trying to inaugurate the restaurant for the convenience of the tourists,” tourism minister Muttamsetty Srinivasa Rao told TOI.
Lammasingi is a small village in Chintapalli mandal of Visakhapatnam district on the eastern ghats. At an altitude of 1,000 meters above sea level, the area is cooler than the surrounding plains with moist deciduous forest cover. It attracts around 2,000 tourists on a normal day and more than 6,000 in rainy and winter seasons, from September to February. But there are no accommodation facilities.
The state government planned the development project and commenced work three years ago. As per the project, eight cottages, a function hall, a restroom, and a restaurant would be constructed initially.
Around 70% of works were completed, except Kerala-type roof works, wood works and others. The contractor stopped works allegedly due to pending bills. The department called for tenders again for the remaining works, but no one has come forward yet.
“Tenders would be called in a day or two to complete the works by June or July-end . The entire project would be thrown open the next season. In the meantime, we are planning to open the temporary restaurant for the benefit of the public,” APTDC managing director M Satyanarayana said.
APTDC has around 99 acres at Lammasingi and it has plans to provide many amenities including good ambiance and landscaping. “It was an untapped area for tourism until a few years ago. We are planning to provide facilities to attract more and more tourists,” MD added.
