VIJAYAWADA: After spending `712 crore on the construction of “ultra-modern” Secretariat blocks and the Assembly, the state government now wonders whether the buildings are in accordance with vastu at all.
On the advice of astrologers and priests, officials are now setting up a 12-ft-wide gate to the north of the complex (Kubera sthanam) between blocks four and five so that Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu can use it for his entry and exit from the Secretariat. Of late, Naidu has been using the general entrance from the east after pundits reportedly advised him that it would augur well for him and the TDP if he avoided the VIP gate, which too is in the east.
At present, there are two gates — East (General) and East (VIP), which the Chief Minister used until recently. To get to the Assembly, Naidu uses the south gate and in the west there is an emergency gate for him.
According to officials of the GAD, Naidu expressed his displeasure with certain features of the new building which he believes are not compliant with vastu shastra. Officials are making changes to the offices of newly inducted ministers in the second block so that they face East. Finance Minister Yanamala Ramakrishnudu defended changes being made to the secretariat. “Vastu is a sentiment. What is wrong in honouring it?” he said.