Telangana Secretariat to be at Erragadda, 'vastu defect' reason behind shifting

Hyderabad:
The Telangana Cabinet on Friday decided to scrap the controversial FAST (Financial Assistance to Students of Telangana) scheme and to continue with the previous Congress government’s fee reimbursement scheme.

In a seven-hour-long meeting, the Cabinet also decided to shift the Secretariat to the Erragadda Chest Hospital location where a new Secretariat complex will be constructed at a cost of Rs 150 crore.

Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao said that the existing age-old Secretariat buildings had dangerous vastu defects that would only bring evil and not allow the state to prosper.

Relocation of the Chest Hospital had also become inevitable since it was located in a heavily polluted area, he stated, adding that the Chest Hospital would be shifted to Vikarabad, at the old TB Sanitarium and if needed, doctors and other medical staff would be adjusted from Hyderabad-based hospitals.

The Cabinet sanctioned Rs150 crore for construction of the new Secretariat. It will be an integrated complex with housing for all ministers, secretaries and heads of departments, making administration far more convenient. All government offices will be located there.

Mr Rao said the complex would be completed in a year and added that he had already asked officers to prepare designs. After the marathon Cabinet meeting at the Secretariat, the Chief Minister announced that the fee reimbursement scheme, introduced by the previous Congress government, would be followed in the state.

Existing local and non-local norms as per Article 371D of the Constitution would be followed to determine eligibility of students, replacing the November 1, 1956 cutoff year as had been prescribed in the FAST scheme.

This means that students who have studied four out of seven years in Telangana will now be eligible for the scheme.

The decision follows severe criticism from the courts. The Chief Minister also stated that the fee reimbursement arrears, amounting to over Rs 862 crore, of previous academic years would be released to colleges immediately.

As for the current academic year, the fee reimbursement amounts would be released shortly.

Mr Rao also said that the Cabinet had “officially” decided to thank the gods for fulfilling the six-decade-long dream of the people of Telangana for separate statehood.

Rao said he would personally visit Tirumala and offer Rs 5 crore worth golden ornaments to Lord Venkateswara. This apart, nose rings would be offered to Goddess Padmavathi in Tiruchanur and Goddess Durga in Vijayawada. He also said he would pray at the Ajmer Sharif dargah and offer Rs 2.50 lakh-worth chaddar.

The Chief Minister promised to construct a Rs 5 crore guesthouse in Ajmer for Telangana pilgrims to provide accommodation free of cost. He will soon talk to the Rajasthan government for allotment of land.

Mr Rao will also visit Goddess Bhadrakali in Warangal and offer a golden crown apart from the Kurivi Veerabhadreswara Swamy temple to offer golden moustaches.

Secretariat shifting decision draws flak.

Former minister and senior Congress MLA T. Jeevan Reddy on Friday came down heavily on K. Chandrasekhar Rao for trying to sell away the prime land of the Secretariat in the name of ‘bad vastu’.

Mr Reddy accused that if such trend continues, it may not be surprising if Mr Rao sells government properties by end of his tenure.  “Why does he want to shift the Secretariat to TB hospital and sell away the prime property to corporate companies, blaming vastu?” asked Mr Reddy. He advised the Chief Minister to concentrate on development instead of imposing his feudal role.