The shifting of the Andhra Pradesh administration to Amaravati crossed a major milestone on Monday with the opening of 14 departments in and around Vijayawada.

The offices of Directors and Commissioners and more than 1,000 employees have shifted from Hyderabad.

These are now located in Vijayawada and Guntur and a handful in Mangalagiri.

The new offices wore a festive look, with Ministers and officials opening them formally to the chanting of mantras and playing of nagaswaram.

Employees decorated their new offices with rangolis, and officials signed files with a smile. Staff already here welcomed their colleagues from Hyderabad with bouquets.

The head offices inaugurated in Vijayawada on Monday include: Anti-Corruption Bureau, Beverages Corporation, Rural Water Supply, Stamps and Registration, Panchayat Raj, Archaeology and Museums, Economics and Statistics, Higher (Collegiate) Education, Prohibition and Excise, Tribal Welfare and Women’s Empowerment Corporation, Planning Board and Sports Authority of Andhra Pradesh.

SC Finance Corporation was inaugurated in Guntur.

Officials enquired with the staff about the facilities being provided for the employees. Some officials were actively competing to meet the deadline set by the Chief Minister.

The government initially set June 15 as the deadline for the shifting and later pushed it to June 27. As the search for rented buildings took longer than anticipated, the government has allowed the process to take place by August.

Construction of the Interim Secretariat Complex (ISC) at Velagapudi in Guntur district gained pace after Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu wanted the government to fully function from there.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> National> Andhra Pradesh / by Rajulapudi Srinivas V. Raghavendra / Vijayawada – June 28th, 2016