Telangana CM KCR's plans for a new Secretariat: Technical panel submits report
A technical committee of engineering officials appointed by the ruling Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) government to look into the proposal to construct a new Secretariat for the state, submitted its final report on Wednesday.
The report was submitted to the Cabinet sub-committee, consisting of Roads and Buildings (R&B) Minister V Prashanth Reddy and Minister for Tourism, Culture and Archeology, Srinivas Goud, which is looking into the issue. The report will soon be forwarded to Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao.
The technical committee led by R&B Engineering-in-Chief (ENC) Ganapathi Reddy, surveyed the structural condition of all present buildings in the Secretariat's premises.
While the findings of the committee report are yet to be made public, media reports suggest that the experts recommended demolishing the original buildings and constructing a new Secretariat, keeping in mind the growth of the city and the state in the future.
“We will submit a final report comprising the technical committee report, proposed building plans, guidelines, framework and other issues to Chief Minister K Chandrashekhar Rao who will take the final decision,” Prashanth Reddy was quoted as saying.
Earlier this month, the Telangana government had ordered bureaucrats and officials to shift out of their present offices immediately. The move was part of KCR's grand plans for a new Secretariat and Assembly, for which he laid the foundation stone on June 27.
The Chief Minister has hinted that the new Secretariat complex will be built at a cost of Rs 400 crore by demolishing the existing structures near the Hussain Sagar lake, while the Assembly building will be constructed by razing Errum Manzil, at a cost of Rs 100 crore.
The move has received criticism from opposition parties and heritage activists. While opposition parties like the Congress and the BJP point out that the existing structures in the Secretariat premises are still strong, activists are upset over the proposed move to demolish Errum Manzil, a heritage structure.
Descendants of Nawab Fakrul Mulk, a noble of erstwhile Hyderabad State, have also opposed the plans to demolish the Errum Manzil, a family palace built by him about 150 years ago.
The present Legislature of Telangana located in Hyderabad's Nampally area, is also a heritage structure, which was built in the early 20th century during the rule of the sixth Nizam of Hyderabad, Mir Mahboob Ali Khan. According to reports, it was initially called diwan-e-aam or council of the people.
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