Temporary secretariat for AP by June

Vijayawada: Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu will lay the foundation stone of the state's temporary Secretariat near here on February 17, the construction of which is to be completed in four months.

The Interim Government Complex (a temporary Secretariat) will come up at Velagapudi village in Guntur district, Municipal Administration Minister P Narayana said after a Cabinet meeting.

Two construction majors agreed to complete six lakh sq ft of building space by June 15 following which the government agreed to increase the cost to Rs 3,350 per sq ft from Rs 3,000 set earlier, he said.

"The firms have to engage workers round-the-clock to complete the buildings by June 15 and that involves higher costs. Hence, the Cabinet approved the enhanced rate to be paid to the contractors," the minister said.

"The state administration right now is in disarray. The Chief Minister and we (Ministers) are functioning from Vijayawada while the officers and staff are working from Hyderabad. There is no coordination," Narayana said.

The state would lose another year if the buildings were not completed by June 15 and government activity shifted to the new Capital region, he added.