HYDERABAD: In a significant development, Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao held a meeting with Roads and Buildings Minister Vemula Prashant Reddy on the construction of a new state of the art Secretariat complex at Pragathi Bhavan on Thursday. A few days ago, a Cabinet sub-committee headed by Reddy had submitted its report on the matter to the chief minister. A technical committee that had been, in turn, been formed by this panel had suggested the government to construct a new Secretariat.
The technical committee had taken the views of various departments, including Disaster and Fire Services and Indian Green Building Council, on the status of the current complex’s compliance of various forms. Based on the responses, the committee explored the possibility of modifying or altering present structures.
However, the committee ultimately said that modifying/altering the existing complex would not be enough to create an “iconic” integrated Secretariat complex that would comply with fire safety, NBC and IGBC norms. The technical committee had observed that existing buildings in the Secretariat were constructed nearly six decades ago and were at the end of their lifespan.
It said most fire hydrants in the complex, except for those in D Block, were not functional. The electrical wiring was too old and faulty and was leading to an inflation in power bills to the tune of Rs 5 crore. The complex also did not have sufficient parking facilities. It noted that there were no separate entry points for VIPs, making security arrangements difficult for the police to provide.
The committee also noted the Secretariat did not have a meeting hall that could host more than 150 persons. It said there was no place where visitors could wait. Visitors also do not have dining halls, the committee observed.