Secretariat women staff to take a sneak peek at Velagapudi

Newly-elected welfare association organising bus yatra to clear their doubts

: With a million doubts milling in their minds about the facilities or lack of it in the temporary Andhra Pradesh Secretariat at Velagapudi in Guntur district, women employees from the existing Secretariat here will board a bus for a preview of their new workplace on Friday night.

The bus yatra, courtesy the newly-elected AP Secretariat Women Employees Welfare Association is basically to give a conducted tour of Velagapudi in the new Capital region where work on building a temporary Secretariat is in full swing. “We gave a call to women members to avail the bus tour and see for themselves,” association President N. Satya Sulochana said. At least one-third of the approximately 900 employees who will re-locate by June 27, if not June 15, are women.

The primary concern of the women – accommodation, still remains unaddressed, even as the first phase of re-location is just 35 days away. Many have decided to leave behind families, college-going children here that has been their home for decades and plan to move into single accommodation or a working women’s hostel. The association’s plea for residential accommodation close to the work place has not been addressed yet and continues to be a concern.

Assurances on key demands

However, they got assurance on some demands that had no financial implications, from Chief Secretary S.P. Tucker. For instance, the amendment to the Presidential Order, mandating local status to children of AP employees shifting to the new capital is expected soon.

The General Administration Department was directed to issue formal orders on five-day week and 30 per cent House Rent Allowance. Instructions were also given by the Directorates of School Education and Higher Education to open a grievance cell in District Education Offices in Krishna and Guntur districts to facilitate smooth admission process for school and college-going children of employees in educational institutions located in Vijayawada and Guntur.

The government agreed to give three-day special casual leave for employees from May 15 to finalise the admissions and find suitable accommodation. The association wants Government to implement two-year child care leave, one of the recommendations of the 10{+t}{+h}Pay Revision Commission, on a par with Central government employees.