The proposed new Telangana State Secretariat complex, brainchild of Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao, will be a reflection of the cultural heritage of the State. The design of the project, finalised by the Chief Minister during his meeting with the internationally acclaimed architect Hafeez Contractor, will include the main gate modeled on famous Kakatiya Arch. Secretariat block where Chief Minister’s office will be located will be modeled on the historic High Court building of Hyderabad with domes and minarets while the Ministers’ block will depict the present Assembly building. Both the historical monuments were built during the Nizam era.
This new complex will come up on an area of more than 100 acres in place of the existing chest hospital and mental hospital in 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. Chief Minister 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 Theater, the prominent venue for the cultural programmes and dramas to make away for a brand new cultural arena and building a convention center 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 a way for a new centre as the present building lacks basic facilities.
Even as the idea of new Secretariat based on Vaastu principles was facing immense resistance from the Opposition parties, the Chief Minister was pressing ahead to incorporate Vaastu Shastra in every Government project. Even in the present Secretariat, the Chief Minister has ordered to make some necessary changes including widening of a road on the advice of his Vaastu Pundit. An amount of Rs 9.8 lakh was issued by the State Government to make changes on the route between a temple and the D-block within the Secretariat premises.