Hyderabad: Ending speculations about where the Assembly for Andhra Pradesh would be located, Governor E.S.L. Narasimhan in principle decided to allot the old Assembly building to the residuary state. The Governor gave his approval to the proposal to retain Secretariats of both states on the existing premises. It was also decided that the Legislative Council of Andhra Pradesh would be located in Public Gardens itself.
Mr Narasimhan held a review meeting on Thursday on the allotment of government buildings, including the Assembly and the Secretariat in the joint capital with chief secretary P.K. Mohanty at Raj Bhavan.
Sources told this newspaper that the Governor also asked the chief secretary not to entertain requests of bureaucrats to go abroad even on official assignments. He was reacting to the chief secretary’s brief that he would be cancelling leaves of all government staff involved in the state division for the next two months.
Sources said that though the Act mandates that the Governor allocate buildings to Andhra Pradesh in consultation with the Telangana Council of Ministers, Mr Narasimhan gave his nod to keep everything ready by the Appointed Day of June 2.
The sub-committee on allotment of buildings has apparently suggested that the chambers of ministers located in the new Assembly building be divided between the two states and Legislative Committee meetings could be scheduled alternatively so that existing committee halls can be shared. With regard to the Secretariat, sources said that the Governor preferred to have a clear demarcation between the two Secretariats with a wall or fencing.
