Telangana eyes complex modelled on historical monuments

Hyderabad: The proposed new Telangana state secretariat complex, the brainchild of Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao, will be a reflection of the cultural heritage of the state.

The design of the project, finalised by KCR, as Rao is popularly known, during his meeting with the internationally acclaimed architect Hafeez Contractor, will include a main gate modelled on the famous Kakatiya Arch. The secretariat block, where the chief minister’s office will be located, will be modelled on the historic High Court building of Hyderabad, with domes and minarets.

The ministers’ block will depict the present Assembly building.

Both historical monuments were built during the Nizam era.

This new complex will be built on an area covering more than 100 acres, where the chest hospital and mental hospital currently stand in the Erragadda area.

At the review meeting attended by the top officials including the chief secretary, the chief minister said that the Assembly and High Court buildings represent the culture of Telangana and the new secretariat should reflect this culture.

The proposed secretariat will have 24 blocks, as the number of ministers in the state is likely to go up.

KCR told the meeting that the idea was to bring the entire administration at one place.

Some more blocks with the offices of the heads of department will be finalised later.

The other proposals discussed at the meeting include demolition of Ravindra Bharati Theatre, the prominent venue for the cultural programmes and dramas to make away for a brand new cultural arena and building a convention centre of international standard at the NTR Stadium. This convention centre will be spread over an area of 11 acres.

The chief minister said that Ravindra Bharati will be demolished to make way for a new centre as the present building lacks basic facilities.

Even as the idea of a new secretariat based on Vastu principles was facing immense resistance from the opposition parties, the chief minister was pressing ahead to incorporate Vastu Shastra in every government project.