AP government officials chary of shifting to Visakhapatnam

Hyderabad: Andhra Pradesh government employees are in a dilemma over relocating to Visakhapatnam, just announced as the state's executive capital. Ever since Chief Minister YS Jaganmohan Reddy declared the three-capital decision, majority of employees turned anxious over relocation and their children's education. After the bifurcation of united Andhra Pradesh in June 2014, AP government employees moved to Amaravati, the new capital city.

"We are just settling down after initial hiccups in relocation. Our children joined local schools in Vijayawada. By the time we are about to accustom ourselves to Amaravati, the decision of making Vizag as executive capital came as a jolt to us. It will be a cumbersome exercise to relocate to Visakhapatnam," said a senior AP government employee in Amaravati.

Farmers, who handed over 30,000 acres for the development of Amaravati capital city region, also voicing concerns over the decision.

The CM has said that the state would have three capitals – Amaravati as Legislative capital, Visakhapatnam as executive and Kurnool the judicial capital city. The decision triggered the ire of employees and farmers.

"Considering the larger interests of the state, we voluntarily came forward to hand over our land to the state government," said a farmer in Amaravati.

Despite the ongoing protests, state officials have begun identifying land in and around Visakhapatnam. An official said that they have already identified 1,000 acres in Anandapuram Mandal and another 1,090 acres at Aganampudi and Kommadi. Since land availability in Vizag is limited, they are exploring space in nearby villages, said the officials.

Officials from Vizag Collectorate said that the process of identifying land is also for housing for the poor. The master plan of the Metro rail project has been modified after considering the future requirements of Visakhapatnam.