Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy is all set to start operating from Visakhapatnam by September/October this year. A camp office and a residence is being readied for him at Rushikonda, and works are under way in a brisk place to ready the Chief Minister’s Office (CMO).
“At the latest by Dasara, the Chief Minister will start working from Visakhapatnam,” said a senior functionary in the government. He will not shuttle between Amaravati and Visakhapatnam.
However, shifting the entire government machinery this year might not be possible as the academic year has already begun. The employees would have to shift by next academic year.
“There shouldn’t be any legal issue if a Chief Minister, who is the executive head, decides to function from a place of his choice. The courts also might not differ in this regard,” he the functionary said.
Mr. Jagan, in April, announced that his government would start functioning from Visakhapatnam from September this year as part of the State’s decentralisation plan for the development of all the regions.
At the International Diplomats Alliance Meet in New Delhi in January this year, he had indicated that he would start operating from Visakhapatnam soon. “Here I am to invite you to Visakhapatnam, which is going to be our capital in the days to come. I would be shifting over to Visakhapatnam in the months to come as well,” the government functionary quoted Mr. Jagan as saying.
On December 17, 2019, Mr. Jagan announced in the Assembly that three State capitals would be developed, reversing the decision of the previous TDP government to develop Amaravati as the State capital. The YSRCP government mooted Visakhapatnam as the Executive capital, Kurnool as the Judicial capital, and Amaravati as the Legislative capital.
