VIJAYAWADA: As the Council of Ministers will examine the recommendations of the GN Rao Committee and take a call on shifting of the executive capital to Visakhapatnam on Friday, many employees in the Secretariat are a worried lot.
While some of them say that they have suffered a lot while shifting capital from Hyderabad to Amaravati and now will have to suffer more if it moves to Vizag, some others say they have no other option but to move to the new capital.
They appealed to the government to consider their demands such as additional HRA and house sites once a final decision to relocate the capital is made. “Even four years after shifting the capital, nearly 400 employees are shuttling between Hyderabad and Amaravati in the weekends and holidays with some of them having own houses in the neighbouring State and other reasons such as education of their children. Such employees leave for Hyderabad on Friday nights, spend two days with their families and return by Monday morning. But once the Secretariat is shifted to Visakhapatnam, it will become a tough task for such employees as they will have to spend more time for journey,’’ an employee told TNIE. Stating that he bought a double bedroom flat in an apartment at Tadepalli, another employee said above 300 employees have been settled in permanent residences in Amaravati after availing loans.
“Relocating to Vizag will put additional financial burden on us as we have to pay the bank loans and house rent in the new capital,” he laments. “Employees from Srikakulam, Vizianagaram, Visakhapatnam and East Godavari are happy. But, most of us from Rayalaseema oppose the idea. Thus, there is divided opinion among employees,” another employee observed.