Staff not interested to work in Velagapudi
Many departments shift but offices wear a deserted look.
AMARAVATI: The shifting of Secretariat employees to Velagapudi has become akin to catchphrase "Aya Ram-Gaya Ram" as they are returning to Hyderabad within no time. The villagers said they could see no employee or official working at the temporary Secretariat, despite shifting of several government departments in the last one month.
Despite the government providing special services like special trains, free accommodation and others, the employees are still not willing to work from the chambers in temporary Secretariat, which is wearing a deserted look.
The people in Amaravati Capital region lament that they had sacrificed their livelihood for establishing the new capital but that the employees were being reluctant to work despite providing corporate facilities in the temporary Secretariat.
The construction of the second and fifth blocks has been completed but the empty chairs and tables in the chambers are disappointing the LPS farmers and other people, who are visiting the temporary Secretariat. L. Ramakoteswara Rao, a farmer who parted with his land under the LPS, lamented that he had sacrificed his livelihood, his fields, but that it was not being put to use properly. "Many facilities have been provided to the employees like a super-fast train exclusively for government employees from Hyderabad to Vijayawada via Guntur, five-day week, hostel facility for women employees living single, seats in private/corporate schools for children of the employees, special buses to the temporary Secretariat from Guntur, Vijayawada and Mangalagiri, subsidised food through Anna Canteen but none is ready to work here," he pointed out. The employees are behaving like guests and returning to Hyderabad, he added.
CRDA vice-chairman and minister for municipal administration P. Narayana said construction of toilets and drainages has also been completed and that shifting of all the departments would be completed by the end of August.