Hyderabad: Leaders of Opposition parties in Telangana on Sunday decided to raise their voice against the proposed construction of a new secretariat and Assembly by Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao as it would be a huge wastage of public money.
Raising allegations of misappropriation of funds in the Kaleshwaram project, the leaders at the All Party Round Table conference here, claimed the chief minister was bent on constructing the new structures to make more money. The meeting was attended by members of the Congress, Telugu Desam Party (TDP), Communist Party of India (CPI) and other opposition parties.
“This unilateral decision of KCR is to divert public attention from the crisis arising out of the Inter exams results and the consequent student suicides,” a leader said. State Congress chief Uttam Kumar Reddy said the proposed constructions were a "huge waste" of public money as the existing structures were safe.
"I have served as an MLA for five consecutive terms and I am quite familiar with the Assembly premises. I have seen Assembly buildings of many States and now I am attending the Parliament sessions as an MP. In my opinion, the present Assembly, both in functioning and aesthetics is on par with Parliament if not better than it," Reddy said in a release. "The same complex was used simultaneously for Assemblies of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana states," he said.
Terming the proposal for a new Assembly complex as "completely unjustified," he said neither the Chief Minister nor anybody on behalf of the government has given any justification and the reasons for shifting it. Similarly, there was absolutely no reason to demolish the Secretariat and build a new structure at the same place, he said. Congress leader Revanth Reddy sought Governor ESL Narasimhan's intervention, failing which he warned of moving the court.
TDP leaders L Ramana, R Chandrasekahr Reddy and CPI's Palla Venkat Reddy took part in Sunday's meeting.
On June 27, Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao had laid the foundation stone for the construction of a new Secretariat building here at the existing location. The state Cabinet has appointed a Group of Ministers headed by Road and Buildings Minister V Prashanth Reddy for the construction of new Secretariat and Assembly complexes. The proposed new Legislature (Assembly) complex, which would be coming up at Errum Manzil, would house the Assembly, Council Halls, Central Halls.
Referring to a media report, the state Congress chief said he was surprised to know that the chief minister has reportedly met a top judicial officer to brief him on irrigation projects when the matter was being heard by the Court. "Dilution of roles or nexus" between Executive and Judiciary was dangerous for the democracy," he observed.
(With inputs from PTI)
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