Officials working on infrastructure at BRKR Bhavan

Parking is a major issue in the new location

Secretariat and the Burgula Ramakrishna Rao Bhavan where offices from old Secretariat are being shifted in Hyderabad.

As the process of shifting the Secretariat to the Burgula Ramakrishna Rao (BRKR) Bhavan gathered pace, officials are busy making arrangements for putting in place the necessary infrastructure in the new complex.

More than half of the over 3 lakh sq.ft building complex is not under use since the past five years as it has been allocated to Andhra Pradesh in 58:42 ratio post-bifurcation, for locating the offices of its heads of the departments. A section, allocated to AP, has been under lock and key since the government shifted to Amaravati and made arrangements for the HoDs in different parts around the new capital.

Require repairs

As a result, some of the elevators in the building were reportedly non-functional while several other chambers would require a face-lift to accommodate senior State government officials. This apart, the condition of the basic amenities, including the water supply and sanitation, is also said to be not properly maintained. The portion of the building under the control of the neighbouring State has been handed over to the State recently.

A team of officials led by Transport, Roads and Buildings Department Principal Secretary Sunil Sharma inspected the premises on Tuesday to check the facilities available there.

Parking arrangement

Officials are apparently working out modalities to ensuring adequate parking space in the vicinity of the building as it lacks sufficient parking space.

It was learnt that the officials in principle decided to block traffic movement on the road leading from GHMC office towards Adarsh Nagar as the area housing the offices of the Chief Minister, ministers and senior bureaucrats would be categorised as high security zone.

CM convoy

The Chief Minister’s convoy and vehicles of the Government’s Chief Advisor, Chief Secretary and senior bureaucrats of the CMO would be allowed inside the BRKR Bhavan while parking arrangements would be made in the nearby MLA Quarters as well as the space earmarked for the helipad in the existing Secretariat complex for parking of visitors’ vehicles. Officials are also looking at the optic fibre connectivity related issues for providing high speed internet network on the lines of the one existing in the present premises.