New Delhi: Andhra Pradesh Bhavan , the official guest house of the Andhra Pradesh government located in Lutyen’s Delhi is being divided between the residuary Andhra Pradesh and the new Telangana state without much noise.
As the process of dividing assets between the two states start, the AP Bhavan is also preparing itself for the inevitable. The guest house has three blocks, Godavari, Sabari and Swarnamukhi apart from a separate residence for the Chief Minister.
Though the TRS, the political face of the Telangana movement, is opposed to bifurcation of the AP Bhavan, officials have started the process of allotting buildings and employees to respective states. TRS wants the Bhavan to be handed over entirely to Telangana state as it was built on a land that was once owned by the Nizam who ruled Hyderabad before India attained Independence.
With the Telangana state being founded on June 2, the campus will now cater to guests from both the new and the residuary state of Andhra Pradesh. Adopting the 58:42 ratio, Andhra Pradesh state would be able to utilise 36 of the total 62 rooms in the whole premises, while Telangana would be allotted 26 rooms.
The allotment of rooms is almost over with sources telling this newspaper that one, three, five and seventh floors in the Godavari block have been allotted to Telangana while two, four, six and eight floors would go to Andhra Pradesh. The ninth floor in the block would be shared by both states though majority of the rooms would be under the Andhra Pradesh quota, the sources said.
“The process has started and our people are working on it. We will complete all the process by June 2. Everything will be finalised in the next few days,” said Shashank Goel, resident commissioner of AP Bhavan.
Since there is only one CM’s residence, officials have converted one of the best suites in the more luxurious Sabari block into a separate block to accommodate another Chief Minister.
The current CM quarters are independent of the guesthouse and consist of a separate kitchen, waiting hall, office and bedroom for the Chief Minister.
Sources say a decision on which Chief Minister would occupy the CM’s quarters and who would occupy the refurbished suite would take a little time, as the officials are very keen on avoiding any kind of controversy. They added that only Andhra Pradesh Governor E S L Narasimhan would take a final decision on the matter.
The sources said canteen, conference hall, auditorium and foyers would be common and would be used by both the state governments. Besides, six premium rooms have also been allotted exclusively for the use of judges and other VVIPs belonging to both states.
The office of the Resident Commissioner, which has two floors, is also being split to accommodate one more for the state of Telangana. The administration is also busy sprucing up the buildings before May 16 in the anticipation of a new Chief Minister and his colleagues.
