Opposition parties in Telangana on Thursday staged a protest in Hyderabad, against Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao's decision to construct a new Secretariat and Legsilature, spending several crore from the public exchequer.
The Telugu Desam party (TDP), Bharatiya Janata party (BJP), Congress and the Telangana Jana Samithi (TJS) participated in the protest at Dharna Chowk. The police took several people into preventive custody as the crowd began maching towards the Secretariat, including TJS President M Kodandaram and Telangana TDP chief L Ramana.
"All of us are opposing the misuse of public money which should be spent on fulfilling basic needs… Today’s protest is not only against demolition of secretariat buildings but against the undemocratic attitude of the government,” Kodandaram told reporters.
Earlier this month, the party leaders also met with Governor E S L Narasimhan and requested him to use his powers to stop the 'misuse' of public money in the construction of a new Secretariat and Legislature for the state.
Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao on June 27 laid the foundation stone for both the buildings.
While the new Secretariat complex will be built at a cost of Rs 400 crore by demolishing existing structures near Hussain Sagar lake, the Assembly building will be constructed by razing Errum Manzil, a heritage structure. The Assembly building will be constructed at a cost Rs 100 crore.
Meanwhile, the High Court is also hearing a batch of petitions against the state government's plans.
In the latest hearing on Thursday, the High Court directed the chief engineer of the Roads and Buildings Department to file his response and also asked for a design and plan for the new Secretariat.
The Court sought to know if the Hyderabad Metropolitan Development Authority (HMDA) (Formerly theHyderabad Urban Development Authority) had given its clearance for the proposal to demolish Errum Manzil.
Descendants of Nawab Fakrul Mulk, a noble of erstwhile Hyderabad State, have also opposed the plans to demolish Errum Manzil, a family palace built by him about 150 years ago.