Six new AP ministers yet to get offices

Amaravati: At least six of the eleven new ministers in Andhra Pradesh might not be able start work in the next few days, as they do not have the office space at the state secretariat at Velagapudi.

These six ministers will have to wait for few days for the allocation of office chambers.

Chambers for ministers had been readied in the four blocks of the State Government Transitional Headquarters (Secretariat) complex in accordance with the then strength of the Cabinet.

While the Chief Minister's Office is located in Block-1, the other 19 ministers had chambers in the remaining four blocks.

Of the 19, five were dropped in yesterday's reorganisation and those chambers could be taken by the new entrants.

The remaining six newcomers will have to wait a few more days, if not weeks, for allocation of office chambers.

For Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu's son Nara Lokesh, who has been given the Information Technology and Panchayat Raj and Rural Development portfolios, a conference in Block-2 is being rescaled into an office chamber.

Given Lokesh's "desired" specifications, it may take at least a month for the minister's chamber to be ready, an official of the Capital Region Development Authority said.

Talk in the Secretariat today was that Lokesh might temporarily occupy a chamber close to his father's office in Block-1 till his own chamber is readied in Block-2.

A veteran like K Kala Venkata Rao, too, wants a chamber befitting his stature.

Only Finance Minister Yanamala Ramakrishnudu has a spacious chamber in the Secretariat as he personally got it done by converting two rooms into one.

However, other ministers aren't so lucky as they are forced to "adjust" in rather cramped office space.

Since there are actually no vacant rooms in the various blocks that can be allotted to the ministers, the CRDA officials are trying to convert the conference halls into chambers. But that exercise may take a few days as many modifications need to be done.

Interestingly, every block in the Secretariat has at least a couple of videoconference halls fitted with giant television screens and other electronic equipment.

Converting them into a minister's chamber is not an easy task as, besides the minister's actually working chamber, an anteroom (with toilet attached) and space for personal staff have to be ensured, according to the CRDA official.

Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu today allocated portfolios to 11 newly inducted ministers in his cabinet, including his son Nara Lokesh, who was given the IT and Panchayat Raj departments. The CM had yesterday effected a cabinet expansion and reshuffle, taking the strength of the TDP ministry to 26.