Water leaks in ministers' chambers in AP secretariat

Amaravati: Incessant rains in the last two days have caused water leaks in portions of the interim secretariat complex in Andhra Pradesh capital Amaravati built in a "record" 192 days at a cost of Rs 512 crore. The downpour has left the chambers of at least three ministers soaking as water leaked through the roof.

The false ceiling broke at several places while rain water seeped into the stamps and registration section of the revenue department. All these are housed in block-4 of the secretariat complex. State Municipal Administration Minister P Narayana, who oversaw the construction of the complex, sought to play down the matter saying "some small problems are always common."

This was not the first time that rain caused havoc in the new buildings. Last month, the rain water leaked into the chamber of opposition leader YS Jaganmohan Reddy in the Legislature building, located in the same compound. The state government then called it an act of 'sabotage' and ordered an inquiry by the Crime Investigation Department (CID), which is yet to be concluded.

The maintenance staff plunged into action to mop up the rain water while the revenue department staffers hurriedly removed the files, computers and other material to safety as the ceiling cracked. "When you build a house, there will be problems.

You need not see them with a magnifying glass," the minister said, adding that there was nothing amiss with the construction. "The edges of the duct sheets were not properly cut in line with the outer wall because of which rain water seeped through them. Otherwise everything is fine," Narayana said after inspecting the block-4.