HYDERABAD: The Telangana government will construct a new temple and mosque on the Secretariat premises, Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao said on Friday. The decision comes after the recent demolition of a few old buildings of the Secretariat complex caused some damage to the places of worship.
Expressing regret and pain over this, Rao said a new temple and mosque would be constructed in a more spacious site, at the government’s cost, on the new Secretariat premises itself. In a statement, the Chief Minister said: “I came to know that while demolishing the old multi-storeyed buildings, the temple and mosque adjacent to these were damaged as debris fell on them. I feel sorry about the incident. It should not have happened. The government’s intention is to build a new complex by demolishing the old buildings without causing any damage to the temple or the mosque”.
The Chief Minister further said that he would hold a meeting with the temple and mosque organisers soon. “We will construct a temple and mosque on the Secretariat premises at a spacious location, even if it means spending crores of rupees. We will construct the temple and mosque at the government’s cost and hand them over to the people concerned. I will hold a meeting with the temple and mosque organisers on this matter very soon. After discussing with them, along with the new Secretariat, the places of worship will also be constructed and handed over to the persons concerned. This is my promise,” he said.
Additionally, Rao reiterated that Telangana is a secular State. “We will continue the secular spirit, come what may. This incident was unexpected. Everyone should understand this, without any prejudice,” he urged the people.
The Nalla Pochamma temple was situated near the A block of the Secretariat, while the Masjid Dafaatir-e-Muatamadi beside the C block and Masjid-e-Hashmi near the D block. The official release from the Chief Minister’s Office did not mention anything about a Christian prayer hall situated in the Secretariat.
Besides these four religious structures, another small temple of a goddess is located within the Secretariat and two more, including the Anjaneya Swamy temple, are near the helipad.