Andhra staff reluctant to leave Hyderabad

Suresh Dharur

Tribune News Service

Hyderabad, July 23

More than two years after bifurcation, the truncated Andhra Pradesh is still grappling with an uphill task of relocating its employees from Hyderabad to the temporary secretariat complex near Vijayawada.

Though the Chandrababu Naidu government made it mandatory for the staff to shift to the interim complex at Velagapudi, pending construction of a new capital city, a majority of the employees has been unable to move because lack of minimum infrastructure and facilities at the under-construction site.

“There is no drainage. No drinking water. Even the basic facilities are lacking. Construction works are nowhere near completion. How can we work from there?” wondered an officer of the Roads and Buildings Department who along with 45 of his colleagues has returned to Hyderabad.

In the first week of July, many employees attended an inaugural function of the temporary secretariat, only to return to Hyderabad the same evening due to lack of basic infrastructure.

The interim government complex is estimated to be ready only by the second week of August. Many employees are also reluctant to shift to Andhra as they have to leave behind their working spouses or school-going children. Earlier, the state government had set June 27 as the deadline for nearly 15,000 employees to shift to the interim headquarters. But, not many could shift, citing inadequate infrastructure in Vijayawada, a congested coastal town of ten lakh population, and other logistical problems.

A temporary Secretariat complex is coming up at Velagapudi village, about 15 kms from Vijayawada. This would serve as the seat of administration till a permanent state capital is built at Amaravathi, a task that might take more than a decade to complete.

Though the AP Reorganisation Act 2014 provides for Hyderabad serving as the common capital for Telangana and AP for 10 years, the TDP government is keen that its staff moves out of Hyderabad as soon as possible to ensure that it is closer to the people.

The employees are reluctant to move. “My spouse is working in Hyderabad and I have school-going children. Displacement at this stage is going to put my finances under severe strain,” said Purnachandra Rao, an official of the State Information Department, echoing the predicament of thousands of employees.

Adding to their woes, the rents and property values in Vijayawada and Guntur have soared abnormally in anticipation of the influx.

“All we want is provision of basic amenities. We have appealed to the Chief Minister to relax thedeadline and give more time. Paying three months’ rent in advance, finding facilities, including school or college for their wards, is definitely hurting the employees,” said P Ashok Babu, president of the AP Non-Gazetted Officers’ Association. In order to soften the impact of displacement, the government has announced a slew of incentives to its staff working from the temporary capital including five-day work schedule, flexible work hours, 30 percent hike in house rent allowance and leave to visit families in Hyderabad over weekends.