HYDERABAD: While there is consensus among officials over the State government’s decision to demolish and build a new Secretariat, most of them have dismissed the idea of building a Legislature complex by demolishing the Errum Manzil. They have attributed the decision to Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao’s fixation with astrology and ‘good’ vastu.
A highly-placed government official in the know of the matter said that the chief minister’s dependence on astrology and vaastu, the Hindu system of architecture, was a major reason behind the proposed demolition of the Errum Manzil palace near Panjagutta. “There is no need for the demolition of Errum Manzil. The present Legislative Assembly is functioning perfectly. The only problem there is is that of the Legislative Council,” the official said.
It has come to the fore that there are many in the government who have similar concerns regarding the demolition but never voiced their opinion in fear of repudiation by the chief minister. “If he (the chief minister) wants to do something, he will go ahead and do it,” the source said, adding that the CM did not seek opinions from other ministers regarding the matter.
The official said another the reason why many have decided to remain silent is because there “was a need” for a new Secretariat.
“Since the proposal of the Assembly has been tied up with the Secretariat, many have given in to the idea of demolition,” the official added. However, its not just the manner in which the decision has been taken for the proposed Assembly that has irked many in the government, but also the location that has raised questions. “Traffic will go haywire if the Assembly is built (at Errum Manzil),” the highly-placed official said.
Meanwhile, the technical committee that the Cabinet sub-committee has formed to look into the viability of the proposed construction of Secretariat and Errum Manzil decided that it would rope in traffic experts and religious personalities before writing their report. The inclusion of the traffic expert is because Errum Manzil is located at a congested place and if the Assembly becomes functional here, it would aggravate the situation even more. The inclusion of religious personalities is because both Errum Manzil and Secretariat have many religious structures such as temples and mosques.
“We will bring (the experts) in and will take a decision on demolishing the religious structures. If we demolish them, we will provide them with a new place,” the official said.