Telangana’s Secretariat building Demolition begins

Hyderabad: Paving way for construction of new State Secretariat complex, the State government has begun demolition of the old Secretariat buildings in the wee hours of Tuesday.

Chief Minister K Chandrashekhar Rao is learnt to have approved the design for the new Secretariat complex and gave his nod on Monday to take up the demolition works of the old buildings.
Official sources said the demolition works were kickstarted from the Samata Block which housed the Chief Minister’s Officer earlier, followed by other dilapidated buildings on the premises.

The police authorities have cordoned off all the routes leading to the State Secretariat and imposed traffic restrictions for about a kilometer radius from the work site. Barricades have been erected at Khairatabad, Ravindra Bharati, Himayatnagar, Tank Bund and other junctions leading to the spot.

The authorities concerned announced a holiday for the employees of the State Secretariat which is temporarily accommodated in the BRKR Bhavan in the close vicinity of the old Secretariat.

The demolition works are in full swing using heavy machinery, with dense dust engulfing the entire area. Sources said the demolition works will be completed before Wednesday morning, followed by clearance of debris. The construction of the new complex is expected to commence during the auspicious month of Sravanam.

The Telangana High Court refused to interfere with the State Cabinet’s decision to demolish the old Secretariat buildings and cleared all the petitions filed against the Cabinet decision during last week.

Shortly thereafter, the authorities shifted all the computer servers and other equipment along with abandoned vehicles in the old Secretariat. Chief Secretary Somesh Kumar is learnt to have held a meeting on Monday with the Roads and Buildings department who took up the demolition works after getting a nod from Chief Minister K Chandrashekhar Rao.