Telangana: HC gives a green signal to CM KCR's Rs 400 crore secretariat plan in Hyderabad

The secretariat in Hyderabad worth Rs.400 crore received a fillip on Monday after the state High Court cleared all hurdles and dismissed all petitions challenging the proposal. During a routine press conference in 2019, CM K Chandrasekhar Rao made headlines when he told reporters that the Telangana government wanted to construct a new secretariat complex, worth around Rs.400 crore, by demolishing the existing building near the Hussain Sagar in Hyderabad. He also wanted a new Assembly building to be constructed at a cost of Rs.100 crore, for which the government planned to raze the Errum Manzil palace in the city.

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HC dismisses PILs

However, activists, NGOs, and politicians in all filed five petitions in the Telangana High Court against the proposal. On Monday, dismissing the PILs, the court said, "We do not find any irregularity in the cabinet decision to demolish the secretariat." Upon dismissing the PILs, one of the advocates, appearing for a petitioner, urged the court to keep this judgment in abeyance for at least four months so that he challenges this order before the Supreme Court. The HC bench, headed by Chief Justice Raghvender Singh Chauhan and Justice Abhishek Reddy, rejected the plea and said that he can very well approach the apex court as it is also hearing urgent cases through video conferencing. 

The offices inside the Secretariat were shifted out in August 2019 and decentralised with various departments functioning out of different buildings. Many departments were shifted to the BRK Bhavan and Metro Rail Bhavan, where temporary arrangements were made to accommodate them. During an earlier hearing of the case, the Telangana government told the court that it had not taken any steps in finalisation of building plans of the proposed complex as the matter was subjudice. 

"An amount of Rs 300 to Rs 400 crore is required for the proposed new buildings. The area allotted to all the 32 departments which were functioning in the Secretariat complex prior to their vacating the said building is 4.45 lakh square feet, and that the areas to be allotted to various departments will be finalised after finalisation of designs of the proposed complex," said the government in its response to the pleas.

After concluding the arguments on March 6, the court reserved its judgment in the case which was delivered on Monday.

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(Image credits: PTI)