A house for CM Naidu (and how much it cost the state)

This is the third camp office to be set up by Naidu in Hyderabad in the past two years. Converting a private house into the Camp Residence of a chief minister is an expensive affair. Crores of rupees need to be spent to make the premises secure and comfortable for the occupant to discharge the duties of a CM.

 

Last night's order is preceded by a lot of modification at the farmhouse at the government's expense. On April 1, even before the order was issued, an amount of ₹1.37 crore was spent on the farmhouse, located at Madeeenaguda village, Serilingampalli Mandal, Cyberabad, Hyderabad, to set up a helipad and make other security arrangements

 

Another ₹57 lakh have been released to take up electricity-related works by the chief engineer (R&B), Electrical, AP.

Naidu is the only chief minister in India, who lives in two camp offices and two offices in two states, despite his talk of how AP is passing through a financial crisis following the bifurcation of Andhra Pradesh.

Earlier, Chandrababu Naidu lived in a  rented house located at Plot No 369/B, Road No 24, Jubilee Hills, Hyderabad on the pretext that  the house he had been living at Road No 65, Jubilee Hills, was being demolished to construct a "bigger house" to suit the growing needs of Naidu's family.

 

Though this is an ad hoc arrangement, the place had to have adequate security, and that cost a fair amount of money. According to sources about ₹1 crore had been spent on raising electric fencing, arrangements for security guards, giving facelifts to conference halls, etc.

 

This was done despite the allotment of the palatial Lake View Guest House as permanent camp office for ten years. Thinking that the bungalow would be a permanent camp office of the chief minister of Andhra Pradesh in joint capital Hyderabad, officials spent huge sums of money to spruce it up. About ₹1.08 crore was spent for the guest house’s makeover to suit Naidu’s tastes.

 

Around the same time, more than ₹20 crore had been spent on refurbishing the CM's office in the secretariat’s L Block. Even before the work was completed, amid the raging controversy over note-for-vote, Naidu took a sudden decision to reclocate the capital to Vijayawada. The government then had to search of another camp residence and camp office, which again put the state’s coffers back by another ₹25-30 crore.

 

Read more: TDP-BJP rift widens in Andhra over special status Bill

 

On October 14, 2015, even while the works of remodeling of the Hyderabad office were in progress, the government issued orders to the Krishna district collector to spend ₹14.66 crore on "new works at chief minister's new camp office" at Vijayawada. Around the same time, a controversial villa had been acquired on the banks of river Krishna in Undavalli village as temporary camp residence where the government had to provide wide roads, illumination, high security arrangements, conference halls, helipad etc.

 

A security audit conducted by the intelligence wing recommended power fence with alarm systems, sufficient illumination all around the perimeter and to cover the river bank, fire safety recommendations, installation of CCTV surveillance systems on the lines of the systems provided in the residence of the CM at Jubilee Hills, Hyderabad, uninterrupted power supply, intercom telephone lines and EPABX system to be taken up at a cost of ₹2.27 crore.

 

Later, another ₹2.71 crore was spent on 31 other works including the construction of a helipad. Incidentally, this Undavalli villa is also an interim arrangement. Once the designated CM's residence is constructed at Amaravati by 2018, Naidu will vacate the house.

 

Naidu is the only chief minister in India, who lives in two camp offices and two offices in two states, despite his talk of how AP is passing through a financial crisis following the bifurcation of Andhra Pradesh.