Naidu prefers Vijayawada for camp office?

• SP’s office or CP office for DGP
• Sub-Collectorate for Chief Secretary
• Offices also identified for Ministers, senior officers

Vijayawada: The Chief Minister-in-waiting N Chandrababu Naidu is likely to locate his camp office in Vijayawada. In the midst of reports that the TD chief is planning to have his camp office either in Guntur city or at the Acharya Nagarjuna University campus, Naidu reportedly told his aides to study the feasibilities of having the camp office in Vijayawada. According to highly placed sources, he has set his eyes on taking over the Krishna District Collector’s camp office, located adjacent to the sprawling Swaraj Maidan grounds.

The area is a special security zone in the city with its own road network and is under the strict vigil; it houses the offices of city police commissioner, the camp office of Krishna district SP, residences of the VUDA Vice-Chairman and the Sub-Collector, Police Guest House, State Guest House and the residences of the Municipal Commissioner and the Deputy Police Commissioner. With All India Radio and Doordarshan and the TTD Kalyana Mantapam on the other side, the area, from the security point of view, is understood to be the best to locate camp offices for DGP, Chief Secretary, Ministers and senior officers. The area also has the Sub-Collector office and Municipal Guest House close to the location and is connected by road on MG Road.

In addition to these, the officials are also identifying Forest Guest House, Officers’ Club, Irrigation CE office campus and Transco SE offices, Joint Collector’s camp office, Panchayat Raj Guest House and Panchayat Raj offices complex to accommodate camp offices for important departments, particularly those engaged in building new capital.

The sources said that Naidu prefers Vijayawada to Guntur because of its direct connectivity to Hyderabad by road, rail and air. If Guntur is chosen, the Chief Minister, Ministers and senior officers would have to go for break journey from Vijayawada, which is time-consuming. If Vijayawada is chosen, Chief Minister, DGP and CS and Ministers and top officials can use air connectivity and others road network.

The sprawling Swaraj Maidan can also be used for parking and other purposes of officials, Ministers and visitors without obstructing the city traffic on the MG Road and the 5 Route that passes parallel to the MG Road and Eluru Road in the city. According to highly placed sources, some of the senior officers who have worked here earlier and have greater knowledge of Vijayawada and Guntur cities have also favoured this place because of its ideal location. However, there is no official communication to the local officials either in Vijayawada or Guntur on the arrangements for the Chief Minister’s camp office. But, the TD leaders from this region are keen locating the Chief Minister’s camp office in this identified zone.