Vijayawada: Arrangements for Krishna Pushkaralu are proceeding on a war-footing, but the speed of execution to meet the deadline of July 31 is leading contractors to take short cuts and compromise on quality, such as neglecting to use scientific methods to build cement structures.

The officials concerned have warned the spokesp-ersons of the construction companies working on the task about this. The government has made an outlay of Rs1300 crore for building the Pushkar Ghats and carrying out beautification projects, that are, ultimately, going to remain only temporary structures, the money to fill the contractor's pockets for they don?t have the capacity to last.

Vijayawada town too has been included in the Heritage City Development and Augmentation Yojana (HRIDAY), and the development work that has been undertaken ? such as a 4-km-long Pushkar Ghat being constructed downstream of Prakasam Barrage -- could well have been conceived of as permanent projects for they have the potential to attract tourists.

But they cannot now be made into permanent fixtures as they are of sub-standard quality, intended only for the purpose of the Pushkaralu.
Work is going on at the Kanaka Durga temple, which caters to around one lakh devotees per day during the Pushkaralu, is yet to be checked for quality.

“There are many projects on in the city: therefore, we are short of good masons who can ensure quality. We are getting only migrant labourers who don’t know masonry work,” says Ravi Naidu, a contractor. “We are trying to maintain quality, but work is getting disturbed due to the rains,” adds Damodar Chowdary, another contractor.