Indicating a possible face-off between the state government and its Hyderabad employees, Andhra Pradesh chief minister Chandrababu Naidu has made it clear that the June 27 deadline for shifting to the new capital region, near Vijayawada, will be "strictly" adhered to.
“I am very serious about shifting to Vijayawada. This issue will brook no further delay. Even if the chief secretary suggested some relaxation of the deadline, there won’t be any change in my resolve. All employees should pack up,” Naidu told mediapersons.
“Except in extraordinary cases, there won’t be any let up in the implementation of the deadline of June 27,” he added.
The ultimatum comes when employees working in the secretariat as well as HoDs (heads of department) in Hyderabad are preparing to resist the move to Amaravati (near Vijayawada and Guntur) on grounds of lack of accommodation and facilities at the new site.
Hundreds of state employees had earlier staged a sit-in before the chief secretary's office, arguing that there were no proper facilities and that the shift be delayed until such time that these were made available.
The chief secretary, who eventually made an appearance, accepted a memorandum from the protestors which is reportedly what forced Naidu to reiterate his stand.
Meanwhile, a senior functionary of the Andhra Pradesh Gazetted Officers Association said they too were planning an agitation against the shifting.
"The employees are not ready to shift to a new capital region where even minimal facilities are not provided. They want the government to wait the till the construction of the buildings is completed. An agitation is being planned against the deadline,” he said.
