It’s much buzz, but little work at AP and Telangana Secretariat

The Secretariat here, which now houses the headquarters of the State Governments of Telangana and Andhra Pradesh, is abuzz with activity.

Yet, not much of this is administrative work, as the task of State bifurcation remains unfinished and the ruling party and new Ministers are still in a celebratory mood. Staff are busy shifting files and computers from one block to the other.

The basic infrastructure is missing in most departments in the D Block, which now houses the key departments of Telangana.

The key Ministries, including Finance, IT, Industries and Education, are still grappling with the lack of facilities and steady flow of visitors. “We have got nothing in place. The computers have to be installed and there is no clarity on the key files in many departments,” a senior officer, who has just taken over as an officer on special duty to a key Minister in the Telangana Government, told

IAS officers and other heads of departments also face connectivity problems and depend on their smartphones and other accessories.

As most of the Ministers and their personal/supporting staff are first-timers, they are also taking time to understand the processes, he added.

Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao, speaking in the Assembly, had also acknowledged that the administration work has not fully started due to various procedural and operational issues and that his Government will put everything in place on a priority basis.

Things are no better on the other side of the fence, at the one-week-old AP Government.

All the work done according to the plan of Governor ESL Narasimhan from April to June 2 has gone waste, as Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu wishes to work from the L block instead of the previously-allotted H block in the Secretariat.

Naidu now plans to set up a temporary office at the Lake View Guest House here to have a semblance of administration.

“It will take at least three to four weeks to have everything ready for the Andhra Pradesh Government,” said an official. The heads of departments are also yet to be finalised by the new dispensation.

The division of files and infrastructure was set to take place before May 25.

But this was not completed, resulting in the present confusion, say officials.