New AP Secretariat Starts Functioning In Velagapudi

The temporary Andhra Pradesh secretariat built at Velagapudi in the Amaravathi capital region began functioning on Wednesday.

AP Panchayat Raj minister Ayyannapatrudu formally inaugurated the building at 2:59 pm. Ministers Ayyannapatrudu and Mrunalini occupied their offices.

Along with the ministers' offices, the offices of the government secretaries and HoDs were also inaugurated. The housing and panchayat raj departments were the first to start from the new secretariat. The other departments will be shifted in a phased manner.

"AP's dream of ruling from its own capital on its own soil is finally coming true," Ayyannapatrudu said.

He said that due to the rains work had gotten delayed a little, and that offices would now shift only in late July or the first week of August.

"But as the ground floor of block 5 is ready for occupation, employees of four departments have been asked to shift now itself," he said.

While CM N Chandrababu Naidu, who first inaugurated a single room of the AP temporary secretariat on April 25 since it was an "auspicious" day, is touring China and was not there for the occasion, senior ministers and bureaucrats including AP Chief Secretary S P Tucker visited the new offices today.

"Many employees did not believe that the buildings would be ready so quickly. Of course, there will be some teething problems, but we are working on them. We have provided workstations, desks, chairs and power supply, and employees can start working immediately," an official said.

The employees of the departments which shifted today will return tonight to Hyderabad and will gradually move to Velagapudi over the next few days. Next week other departments like municipal admnistration and urban development, irrigation, and R&B will start shifting.

Block 1 in the temporary secretariat, also known as the AP Transitional Headquarters, will house the offices of the Chief Minister, Chief Secretary and the General Administration Department. It will be ready in three weeks, and on July 21 Chandrababu Naidu is expected to start working from his office there. Blocks 2, 3 and 4 will be inaugurated on different dates in July. Block 6, which will house the Legislative Assembly and the Legislative Council, will be ready by September.