Hyderabad: More than a decade after Telangana’s formation, the state govt is grappling with an acute shortage of official accommodation for senior officers as hundreds of govt quarters remain under Andhra Pradesh’s control. The shortage has become so pronounced that newly-appointed chief secretary Sanjay Jaju is yet to move into an official residence, forcing the govt to search for a suitable accommodation.Official sources said 589 residential quarters and buildings in Hyderabad, which came under Andhra Pradesh’s control during the bifurcation period when Hyderabad served as the common capital, are yet to be handed over to Telangana.Of the 2,565 govt residential quarters in Hyderabad earmarked for All India Services (AIS) officers, senior officials and employees of various cadres, 589 were allocated to Andhra Pradesh after bifurcation. Though the 10-year common capital arrangement ended in June 2024, Telangana has been repeatedly urging Andhra Pradesh to return these quarters and certain govt buildings.According to general administration department (GAD) records, 221 of the 589 quarters are still occupied, while 368 others are vacant but remain under Andhra Pradesh’s control.“Of them, 33 AIS quarters are in Banjara Hills and 34 in Kundanbagh, Begumpet, including some flats, towers, etc. As 55 AIS officers’ quarters are occupied by AP IAS, IPS and other officers, Telangana officials are waiting for the residential accommodation,” a senior govt official said.Telangana govt has written to Andhra Pradesh govt on multiple occasions seeking the transfer of these properties, including staff quarters at Punjagutta flats, Erramanzil, Patigadda, Saifabad, Madannapet, Kaladera and Malakpet.The shortage has been compounded by the occupancy of some govt residences by ineligible persons. There are allegations that an MLA, MLCs and others were allotted ministerial quarters on Road No. 13, Banjara Hills, despite not being eligible. With several of the 31 ministerial quarters reportedly in poor condition, some ministers have opted to stay elsewhere.The accommodation crunch is perhaps best reflected in the case of Chief Secretary Sanjay Jaju, who assumed office on June 30 and has reportedly been staying in a govt guest house since then.Officials said a dedicated residence for the chief secretary exists at Kundanbagh and was occupied by former chief secretaries until the tenure of SK Joshi. However, as subsequent chief secretaries Somesh Kumar, Santhi Kumari and K Ramakrishna Rao did not use the premises over the past six years, the building was allotted to a cabinet minister for official purposes. The minister is not residing there.“The officials have shown some accommodations to Jaju, but he reportedly prefers a quarter close to the secretariat,” sources said.Meanwhile, senior Andhra Pradesh officials reportedly wrote to the Telangana govt a few months ago seeking permission to use the Lake View guest house in Hyderabad for official meetings. The Telangana govt is yet to respond to the request.
