A temporary state secretariat of Andhra Pradesh was on Wednesday formally inaugurated at the upcoming state capital Amaravati, two years after the state's bifurcation and the carving of separate Telengana.
The departments of Panchayati Raj, rural development, housing, and labour and employment have been moved to the ground floor of the building, completed in 131 days.
A festive atmosphere prevailed at Velagapudi village as the first block of the building was inaugurated at the Andhra Pradesh government's transitional headquarters by state ministers amid religious rituals.
The employees of the four departments were accorded a warm welcome as a bus carrying them from Hyderabad reached the village.
Amaravati is located on the southern banks of the Krishna river in Guntur district, within the Andhra Pradesh Capital Region, 12 km south-west of Vijayawada and 24 km north of Guntur.
More departments will be moved to the new secretariat on July 6 and 16 when more space will be ready on the ground floor.
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State Chief Secretary S.P. Tucker said once the first floor gets ready on July 21, many more departments were expected to start operating from the new location.
He said it may take 40 to 50 days for the entire state administration, including the Chief Minister's Office, to start operating from the new headquarters.
Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu and some of his cabinet colleagues have been operating from Vijayawada since last year but the administrative machinery remained in Hyderabad, the joint capital of Telangana and Andhra Pradesh.
Naidu has set a June 12 deadline for relocating all departments but the same has been delayed as the first building at the transitional headquarters was not ready.
Naidu, currently visiting China, expressed happiness over the inauguration of the first building and termed it a historic day for the state.
--IANS
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