HYDERABAD: Will the defence ministry transfer its Bison Polo Grounds land to the Telangana government for construction of a new building for the State Secretariat? It seems the ministry has not made up its mind till now due to various reasons. The state government has been demanding the land for laying roads and building skyways and a new Secretariat building.
Interestingly, the defence ministry on Saturday handed over a 210-acre land in Bengaluru to the Karnataka government for various infrastructure projects there. Reacting to it, Telangana IT and industries minister KT Rama Rao tweeted on Monday: “I hope the same courtesy/principle can be extended to Telangana. We have been consistently requesting the government of India for over two years for 160 acres of defence land for two important skyways in Hyderabad city.”
According to sources, the defence minister may give lands for construction of roads in the city but not transfer the Bison Polo Grounds as it is surrounded by various strategic defence establishments and offices. CM K Chandrasekhar Rao once again took up the Bison Polo land matter with the PM in Delhi on Saturday, the same day defence minister Nirmala Sitharaman was in Bengaluru and handed over 210 acres of defence land to Karnataka. KTR wanted the Centre to apply the same principle to Hyderabad too.
Why New Building?
The TRS government has been trying to construct a new building for the Secretariat on Bison Polo land for more than two years. The reason is that the existing Secretariat building abutting Hussainsagar lake does not comply with fire safety norms. The comptroller and auditor general of India (CAG) also pointed to lack of safety norms. But the government is helpless as the blocks in the present Secretariat had been constructed in an unplanned manner. According to sources, the existing Secretariat is also not in accordance with Vastu. Therefore, KCR stopped going to the Secretariat and cabinet meetings are held at his camp office, Pragathi Bhavan in Begumpet. If the defence ministry transfers the land, construction of the new building, costing Rs 500 crore, will be completed within a year, say officials.
Apart from the Bison Polo land, the state has also sought lands for strategic road development project (NH 44 and SH 1). It also wanted transfer of 7.58 acres of defence land for construction of a six-lane alternative road to Gough Road. Though the defence ministry conveyed its “in principle approval” for transfer of the lands, it put a condition that the state government pay `31.20 crore every year to the Cantonment Board.
“When we are willing to exchange lands and to pay the differential cost as a one-time measure, the question of annual payment should not arise,” the chief minister told the prime minister on Saturday. The Bengaluru lands were transferred in a similar fashion.