HYDERABAD: Hyderabad High Court has asked the state government to respond within 10 days, after hearing a case filed against Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrsekhar Rao's Rs 100 Crore plan to build a new Vastu-compliant secretariat. Filed by new Congress leader Jeevan Reddy, the petition says there is no need to demolish the existing structure and make a new building with crores of public money.
Rao has argued that the present secretariat, which seats the government, has "bad Vastu". Vastu is an ancient systen of architecture and is strongly believed in my the CM. "History is proof that no one has prospered because of this. Let Telangana not suffer," Rao had said recently. Padmaja Shaw of the Telangana Democratic Forum said, "KCR promised to reconstruct Telangana, but is this what he meant? Ever since this new government came, all we have seen is excessive focus on religious pomposity, donation to rich temples that don't need it and spending crores on religious beliefs of the chief minister like yagnas and vaasthu. Where is the focus on real issues?"
Plans include demolishing the secretariat, some parts of which date back to 130 years. The new building will be designed by famous architect Hafez Contractor. The state government argues that the secretariat buildings are not fire-safe and that is why the plan to demolish. Congress' Shabbir Ali said, "He can Vastu-correct his home and farmhouse spending his money. Not a public office, spending public money."
