With rents for residential and official accommodation spiralling in Vijayawada and its suburbs, much higher than in Hyderabad but without equivalent infrastructure, pressure is mounting on the State Government to makes its Durbar Move affordable to employees.
According to sources, the Government is considering various proposals to make the passage easier for employees, including enforcing the Rent Control Act to rein in skyrocketing rents in Vijayawada.
With a three-bed room apartment in Vijayawada commanding a rent upwards of Rs. 20,000, compared to Rs.15,000-20,000 for similar housing in Hyderabad, employees who were initially enthusiastic to move to their native State are now baffled by the high cost of living in Vijayawada.
Officials who are scouting for office space in Vijayawada for the Durbar Move are aghast at the demands made by landlords: Rs.50-55 per sft though they don’t come with plug-and-play facilities. For a government department or office, renting premises at such high cost is just not feasible, sources said.
A senior official said that for employees who are unlikely to shift their families from Hyderabad, the financial burden of maintaining two residences, one in Vijayawada and one in Hyderabad, would be considerable. Some of them are now toying with the idea of commuting from Tenali or some other town rather than reside in Vijayawada.
Deploring the greed of realtors and property owners, some employees lament that while no charity is expected, landlords should be reasonable in demanding rent when the state is in transition.
Top government officials agree that finding affordable accommodation for government offices and residential quarters would be a challenging issue.
Another suggestion to overcome the high rentals in Vijayawada is to decentralise government departments and move them to different cities like Visakhapatnam, Rajahmundry, Kakinada and Chittoor instead of locating all of them in Vijayawada.
If Chief Minister made an appeal to property owners not to exploit the situation and jack up prices, it may have an impact, some officials said. After all, people did come forward to donate to the State capital fund and the Chief Minister’s Relief Fund soon after bifurcation. It’s time to show some generosity by not enhancing property prices when the Government was shifting the administration, they said.
With a three-bed room apartment in the city commanding a rent upwards of
Rs. 20,000, compared to Rs.15,000-20,000 in Hyd, employees are baffled by the high cost of living here
