VISAKHAPATNAM: Speculation is rife over where government offices, including the Chief Minister’s Office (CMO) and Secretariat, will be located in Vizag.
Sources said that in the second week of August, Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy may lay the foundation stone for the executive buildings at Kapuluppada, where there was a 300-acre Greyhounds facility.
Since January, a host of officials have made a beeline to the city to scout for buildings for various head offices. Officials then reportedly inspected the IT Hill for a suitable location.
The 10-storey Millennium Tower, an iconic building in Cyber Valley on Hill No 3 of Rushikonda, was constructed at a cost of Rs 145 crore, and has a built-up area of two lakh sq ft with a three-floor cellar parking space.
It is likely to house the Secretariat, and Millennium Tower B, for which the government recently released funds to complete, is likely to host the CMO.
Meanwhile, a villa on Beach Road, on the way to Bheemili, has reportedly been identified for the CM’s camp office and residence. Similarly, other buildings were also reportedly identified. Some of these are IT Park for the DGP’s office and Yeleru Guest House for the Irrigation department.
An engineering college near Boyapalem was also reportedly visited by officials to set up some government offices. There are speculations that the strategic concept city will come up on 500 acres of the Bhogapuram International Airport project and house permanent buildings for the executive capital.
Opinion is divided on whether the Decentralisation Act will stand legal scrutiny. Umesh Chandra, a High Court advocate, told The New Indian Express, “The High Court was established in Amaravati following a presidential notification and with the consent of the Supreme Court.
To overturn a Presidential Proclamation is not possible through an Act enacted by the state Legislature. It will have to be ratified by the President.” Government sources say the Act doesn’t overrule anything
Sources in the government pointed out that as per the Act, "The government will initiate steps to seek relocation of the High Court to Kurnool in accordance with the procedure prescribed under the AP Reorganisation Act 2014".
As such, it is neither violative of the Reorganisation Act nor the Presidential notification, they clarified. All state judicial institutions will be in Kurnool "as far as practicable". The state may also be divided into several zones for planned development of all regions