HYDERABAD: Referring to recession prevalent across the globe, a division bench of Telangana High Court on Thursday questioned the State government as to how it could mobilise the funds required for construction of new Secretariat buildings despite financial constraints. As per newspaper reports, the State government has directed all its departments to spend money very cautiously and economically that too on essential items due to funds crunch.
Will the State government still go ahead with its proposal to construct a new Secretariat complex in spite of recession period and how much money it will spend on it? the bench asked the government counsel and directed the State government to file an affidavit furnishing data, including maps and complete construction area required for all offices in the proposed Secretariat complex, area assigned to various departments in the existing Secretariat prior to vacating the buildings and designs and estimated cost of the proposed complex.
The bench, comprising Chief Justice Raghvendra Singh Chauhan and Justice A Abhishek Reddy, passed this order in batch of PILs filed separately in the year 2016 by Congress MLA T Jeevan Reddy, advocate T Rajinikanth Reddy and the Forum for Good Governance, an NGO represented by its secretary M Padmanabha Reddy, seeking the court to grant stay of shifting the offices of Telangana Secretariat to other buildings and demolition of existing structures to construct new buildings in its place. In the recent past, Congress MP A Revanth Reddy and Prof PL Vishweshwar Rao, vice-president of Telangana Jana Samithi, filed the PILs challenging the impending demolition of secretariat buildings.
When the matter came up for hearing, the bench perused various GOs and letters addressed to the State government by the technical committee and sub-committee on demolition of existing secretariat buildings. The technical committee has not stated for demolition of existing secretariat, but spoke about its renovation. The government has taken an interim decision to shift all offices in secretariat to other buildings and is toying with the idea of constructing a new complex.
“How could the State government go ahead with its decision of demolishing the secretariat buildings without there being any details relating to its plan, designs, estimates and actual area required for the purpose. Huge constructions require crores of rupees. Will the Telangana government still think of having a new complex in spite of precarious financial position?” the bench asked.
In reply, State Additional Advocate General J Ramachandra Rao said that the government has not taken any decision to demolish the existing Secretariat buildings as the issue is sub judice in the court. “Most of the offices in the existing Secretariat have been shifted to BRKR Bhavan and other places in the city. If the court decision goes against the government then the money spent on raising new complex will go waste, hence the government has not taken any concrete decision,” he added.
Expressing concern about the confidentiality of the files routed between BRKR Bhavan and other offices scattered within the city, the bench said that it has to look from all angles into the issue. “The petitioners have vehemently contended that the government’s decision to demolish the existing secretariat buildings is unreasonable and a sheer waste of taxpayer money,” it noted.
After passing this order, the bench posted the matter to January 7 for further hearing.