Cabinet sub committee reviews space allocation for departments in Secretariat Towers

Metro India News | AMARAVATI

A Cabinet Sub-Committee on Friday held its first meeting at the State Secretariat to deliberate on the allocation of office space for various government departments in the upcoming iconic administrative buildings being constructed in Amaravati.

The Andhra Pradesh government is developing a General Administration Department (GAD) Tower along with four Heads of Departments (HOD) Towers as part of the new Secretariat complex in the capital city. Designed as iconic structures, the buildings aim to house multiple state-level administrative offices under one roof. Construction works have already commenced.

Unlike the earlier Secretariat model, where only senior officials and select departmental sections functioned from the complex, the new infrastructure is being planned to accommodate Secretariat departments, Heads of Departments’ offices, and corporation offices together, enabling integrated governance and improved administrative coordination.

The Cabinet Sub-Committee, constituted to assess space requirements for each department, comprises Ministers Narayana, Payyavula Keshav, Manohar, Bala Veeranjaneya Swamy, BC Janardhan Reddy, and Satya Kumar.

Speaking to the media after the meeting, Minister Narayana said discussions focused on construction planning, parking facilities, and assessment of workforce requirements at the state level. Officials were directed to compile department-wise data on employee strength, infrastructure needs, and workspace requirements to ensure optimal allocation.

He noted that earlier designs prepared between 2014 and 2019 envisaged buildings with a total built-up area of 52.72 lakh square feet, including 31.71 lakh square feet of carpet area, based on an estimated workforce of around 26,700 employees at the time. However, the government has now decided to reassess requirements in line with current administrative needs, following directions from Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu.

According to preliminary estimates, the state currently has 39,882 sanctioned posts, and accurate data will be collected by nominating departmental coordinators to provide updated inputs. The committee will seek the Chief Secretary’s approval for appointing representatives from each department to facilitate the process.

The Minister added that officials have also been instructed to study recently constructed secretariat complexes in Nava Raipur (Chhattisgarh) and Hyderabad (Telangana) to draw best practices for planning and design. The Cabinet Sub-Committee is scheduled to meet again next Monday to review further details and finalise recommendations.