The Telganana administration has got a new address with official work commencing at Burgula Rama Krishnarao (BRK) Bhavan here on a temporary basis.
The office of the State Chief Secretary, SK Joshi, was shifted to BRK Bhavan on Saturday along with a few other departments.
Government higher-ups and secretarial staff were busy on Sunday shifting furniture and files from the main secretariat building to the new location in trucks and vans.
The move follows Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao deciding to build a swanky secretariat after demolishing existing buildings.
As BRK Bhavan has space constraints, offices of some ministries/departments are being shifted to suitable locations in nearby areas.
Apart from the office of the Chief Secretary, who will also function from the camp office at his official residence, key departments including finance, general administration, backward classes welfare will now operate from BRK Bhavan.
The State government’s decision to construct a new secretariat and an Assembly has kicked off a political row with the Opposition, civic activists and heritage lovers questioning the need for demolition of existing buildings for new structures.
While the existing secretariat is in good condition except for an old block, the government plans to build the Assembly by razing the over-a-century-old Errum Manzil to the ground.
The decision to demolish the vintage structure has, however, been challenged in the High Court.
Chief Minister Rao, however, has already laid the foundation stone for the new secretariat and Assembly buildings.
The cost of the proposed secretariat is expected to be around ₹400 crore (for about 6 lakh square feet), while the expenditure for the Assembly has been pegged at ₹100 crore.
Challenge
There has been some reluctance on the part of some officials to shift to the new location in view of its limited space and amenities available.
\“It will be a tough proposition for us and people to function from here for 2-3 years,” a senior official supervising the shift told BusinessLine.
For the police, too, it will be a challenge to provide security at BRK Bhavan as it is located in a congested area. Elaborate security arrangements are being made by special polices teams.
The shifting is expected to be completed by Tuesday.