Govt reviews workspace for new secretariat complex in Amaravati

Vijayawada: The cabinet sub-committee on the construction of the new secretariat complex met in Amaravati on Friday and discussed the allocation of space for various departments in the proposed iconic buildings. The State govt is planning to develop an integrated govt complex that will house all state-level offices, including those of secretaries and ministers, under one roof. Ministers P Narayana, Peyyavula Keshav, Satyakumar Yadav, Nadendla Manohar, B C Janardhan Reddy, and Dr Dola Bala Veeranjaneya Swamy attended the meeting held at the secretariat.Speaking to the media, municipal administration minister P Narayana said the panel held detailed discussions on allocating workspace department-wise based on the number of employees in each wing. He said an initial estimate of 31.71 lakh square feet of workspace was proposed in the design plans. "The building designs are prepared to accommodate 39,852 employees," he said, adding that the objective is to ensure adequate, efficient, and future-ready workspace for all departments. However, the sub-committee felt that there should be greater clarity on the exact number of employees working in each department.
He said that secretaries were directed to collect detailed department-wise data on sanctioned posts, working staff strength, infrastructure needs, and space requirements. He recalled that the buildings were designed with a total built-up area of 52.72 lakh square feet during 2014-19, including 31.71 lakh square feet of carpet area, based on an estimated workforce of 26,700 employees. However, as per current data, there are 39,882 sanctioned posts. In view of the revised requirements, the chief minister constituted the sub-committee to undertake a comprehensive review before finalising allocations.The minister said the chief secretary would be requested to nominate departmental coordinators to provide accurate and up-to-date data. CRDA officials were also instructed to study the newly constructed secretariats at Naya Raipur and Hyderabad for best practices. "We will review the data once again and take a final decision on workspace allocation in the next meeting," he stated.