The Telangana Pradesh Congress Committee (TPCC) President N. Uttam Kumar Reddyhas questioned the rationale behind the decision to demolish the existing Secretarit and asked the Government to drop the plan immeditely.
In an open letter to the Chief Minister K. Chandrashekar Rao, Mr. Reddy raised several questions on the need for a new Secretariat when the present facility was sufficient.
“Shifting of Telangana Secretariat is an unwise and irrational decision. The decision to demolish the present Secretariat and construct a new complex at a huge cost of hundreds of crores of rupees is a mere waste of precious taxpayers' money,” the TPCC chief said in his letter.
Mr. Reddy pointed out that H-Block (South and North Blocks) was constructed in 2008 and has spacious office accommodation. The D-Block was constructed in 2003, A-Block in 1998, J-Block in 1990, L-Block in 1981, C & B blocks in 1978 and K-Block in 1975. The only really old block in the secretariat is the G-Block, he said.
Mr. Reddy said demolishing a fully functional Secretariat citing “Vaasthu defects” was unfortunate. “In this age and time, spending hundreds of crores of rupees of precious public money because of Vaasthu reasons is not justified,” he said.
The TPCC Chief also found fault with the Advocate General’s submission to the court that the present Secretariat doesnt meet fire safety norms. “All the earlier Chief Ministers including those with Z category security functioned from the same place and were they allowed to function there without clearance on fire safety norms,” he questioned. “The State Government's stand in the High Court has raised many suspicions among the people of Telangana.”
He said since the AP Secretariat is now shifted to Vijayawada there was more than enough space now to bring all departments outside the Secretariat to be brought into the present complex without spending a single rupee.
While the Government doesn’t release farmer’s loan dues and students fee reimbursement dues but indulges in such wasteful and unnecessary spending, he said demanding that the voice of the opposition parties and civil society must be heard on the issue.
