Notwithstanding the directions of the Andhra Pradesh high court against shifting of government offices from Amaravati till the cases pending in the court are disposed of, the YSR Congress party government has quietly began the exercise.
On Friday night, chief secretary Neelam Sawhney quietly issued a government order, directing shifting of the office of the Vigilance Commissioner from Interim Government Complex, Secretariat at Velagapudi to Kurnool.
The order does not refer to the word “Amaravati,” but said Velagapudi in Guntur district.
Along with Vigilance Commissioner’s Office, the offices of Chairman of Commissionerate of Inquires and also that of the Member(s) Commissioner of Inquires functioning at Velagapudi would also be shifted to Kurnool.
The chief secretary directed that the Engineer-in-Chief, (R&B) and the Collector and District Magistrate, Kurnool shall take necessary steps for identifying suitable buildings at Kurnool to relocate the above offices immediately.
According to sources, several other offices from the Secretariat would also be shifted to Visakhapatnam one after the other, once suitable office spaces are identified.
Irrigation minister P Anil Kumar was in Visakhapatnam on Friday to look for office spaces for his department closer to Andhra University.
As reported in these columns, chief minister Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy will also be moving to Visakhapatnam by second week of March and would be operating from the new office from Ugadi, falling on March 25.
