Hyderabad: Telangana's grand Secretariat, a brainchild of CM KCR, thrown open

Hyderabad: Telangana's grand Secretariat, a brainchild of CM KCR, thrown open

Built at a cost of over ₹600 crore, the Secretariat is a six-storey structure with seven lakh square feet of built-up space and equipped with all modern facilities.

FPJ Web DeskUpdated: Sunday, April 30, 2023, 05:46 PM IST
article-image
Twitter

Hyderabad: Turning a new leaf in its history, India's youngest state Telangana on Sunday opened a new building of its Secretariat, the nerve centre of state's administration equipped with state-of-the-art features and built with a unique design.

Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao inaugurated the complex by occupying a chair in his chambers on the sixth floor and signing a few files. A group of priests performed the rituals with chanting of Vedic hymns.

Ministers, leaders of Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) and senior officials presented bouquets to congratulate him on the occasion. Many ministers and other public representatives bowed down to touch the feet of Chief Minister KCR.

Ministers, Chief Secretary Santhi Kumari, secretaries and other top officials A brainchild of Chief Minister KCRoccupied their chairs in their respective chambers simultaneously.

A brainchild of Chief Minister KCR

A brainchild of Chief Minister KCR, the Secretariat complex has come up near the banks of Hussain Sagar lake in the heart of the city at the same piece of land where old buildings of Telangana Secretariat and earlier undivided Andhra Pradesh stood.

The building, termed as a symbol of Telangana's progress, boasts off two massive domes. National emblem atop the huge domes has taken the building to its planned height of 265 feet, making it the tallest state Secretariat in the country.

The integrated complex housing the offices of the chief minister, ministers, chief secretary and all other secretaries and heads of departments, reflects the pride of Telangana and would stand as a role model for other states, says the Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) government. It has been named after the chief architect of the Indian Constitution, Dr B.R. Ambedkar.

"A visionary leader ahead of his time" | Twitter

Built at a cost of over ₹600 crore

Built at a cost of over ₹600 crore, the Secretariat is a six-storey structure with seven lakh square feet of built-up space and equipped with all modern facilities.

The rituals associated with the inauguration of the building began Sunday morning. Sudarshana Yagam was performed by Vedic pandits. Minister for roads and buildings Vemula Prashant Reddy and his wife performed Dwaralaxmi puja.

After the Sudershana Yagam, Chandi homam and vastu homam were performed.

Chief Minister KCR arrived at the Secretariat at around 1.15 p.m. After getting down from the car at the main gate and accompanied by a few ministers and top officials, he walked towards the special tent to perform puja before driving into the complex. At the entrance KCR took a salute from a police contingent before unveiling a plaque and cutting the ribbon to formally inaugurate the building.

Bird's-eye view of the Secretariat building

Bird's-eye view of the Secretariat building | Twitter

Twitter

The grand entrance of the Secretariat building

The grand entrance of the Secretariat building | Twitter

Indo-Saracenic style structure

The structure has been built in the Indo-Saracenic style that blends the Indo-Islamic architectural features generally with domes. The multiple domes and arches of the building perfectly fit in this style representing the syncretic and liberal Deccani style, expressing Telangana's quintessence.

Designed by the Chennai-based Architects Ponni Concessao and Oscar Concessao, the complex has been built by Shapoorji Pallonji and Company Pvt Limited with all the Indian Green Building Council norms, meeting the stipulations of fire safety, disaster management and other mandatory regulations.

The construction work started in January 2021 amid Covid-19 and court cases, but was completed in a record time of 26 months. According to officials, usually it takes five years to complete the works of such a huge construction.

The building, a fusion of different cultures, has been built with a height of 265 feet on an area of 10,51,676 square feet in a sprawling 28 acres. It has 34 domes, including two huge domes, which add attraction to the complex.

Hindu, Muslim and Christian prayer halls

The six-storey Secretariat, with 635 rooms, 30 conference halls and 24 lifts, Hindu, Muslim and Christian prayer hallshas been built to accommodate 2,000 employees.

One of the meeting halls

One of the meeting halls | Twitter

Grand sitting area

Grand sitting area | Twitter

There are two floors with 4,500 square feet each under the dome on the sixth floor. These will be used for the President, Prime Minister and foreign guests who are on a state visit. Royal dining halls have been built in the Persian model.

According to officials, 3,500 cubic meters of Dholpur red stone, which was used for Parliament building, was also utilised for the new Secretariat. For this, a whole mine was used in Dholpur, Rajasthan. From there, the stone was transported to Hyderabad in 1,000 trucks. Red stone is used for the entire basement, while light brown stone is used from the main dome to the portico.

The government has also built Hindu, Muslim and Christian prayer halls in the Secretariat. They have been made more spacious and beautiful than before. The government has provided flexibility to get the construction done according to the wishes of the respective religious leaders. 

RECENT STORIES

2017 Corruption Case: CBI Files Closure Report In Corruption Case Against NCP's Praful Patel

2017 Corruption Case: CBI Files Closure Report In Corruption Case Against NCP's Praful Patel

Lok Sabha Elections 2024: Grand Alliance To Declare Seat Sharing Deal Soon

Lok Sabha Elections 2024: Grand Alliance To Declare Seat Sharing Deal Soon

Dissidence Forces Congress Leaders To Cancel Events In Karnataka Districts

Dissidence Forces Congress Leaders To Cancel Events In Karnataka Districts

'This Is Blessing Of Baba Gorakhnath,' Says Ex-BJP MLA's Son On Gangster Mukhtar Ansari's Death

'This Is Blessing Of Baba Gorakhnath,' Says Ex-BJP MLA's Son On Gangster Mukhtar Ansari's Death

'Who Will Buy ₹5k Thing For ₹25cr?' Says Punjab BJP Chief Sunil Jakhar On AAP's Allegations

'Who Will Buy ₹5k Thing For ₹25cr?' Says Punjab BJP Chief Sunil Jakhar On AAP's Allegations