A day after Telangana Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao called on Governor E.S.L. Narasimhan with a plea that the Andhra Pradesh government hand over the buildings allotted to it in the Secretariat for the proposed ultra-modern complex to house the Telangana Secretariat, the latter forwarded a copy of the the Cabinet resolution dated October 21 to the neighbouring State on Monday.
“Mr. Narasimhan in his capacity as the chairman of the Buildings Committee in the common capital forwarded the copy to the AP government,” highly-placed sources said. Seen as yet another step towards finding solution to contentious issues dogging the two States, the Governor, it is understood, made certain suggestions to Mr. Rao on Sunday.
Sources said the Governor specifically told Mr. Rao not to insist on AP Legislature buildings and those housing the Heads of Departments as the new Legislature and other buildings were yet to be completed in Velagapudi near Amaravati.
The Telangana Chief Minister is said to have agreed to the suggestion and informed the Governor that he planned to construct ‘Vaastu’-compliant integrated complex with 10-14 floors having ample parking space and greenery, if AP handed over the five blocks in the existing Secretariat.
In the event of the AP government agreeing to hand over the buildings, the Telangana government would provide it alternative accommodation to house the skeletal staff either in Gaganvihar or any other spacious building in Nampally.
In principle, the Telangana government has zeroed-in on Gaganvihar, where about 1-lakh square feet space is available.
“The AP government has to spend huge money on the maintenance of the blocks allotted in the existing Secretariat. The feeling among the AP leaders is that they should give up the Secretariat buildings as their own administrative buildings are in various stages of completion,” sources told The Hindu.
It is understood that when the Governor visited Vijayawada last week, AP Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu had concurred with the suggestion of the former to hand over the Secretariat buildings to Telangana.
The TDP polit bureau meeting that followed Mr. Naidu’s one-on-one interaction with the Governor discussed the issue threadbare and there was near unanimity that the TS plea could be conceded.
However, a few TDP leaders are said to have demanded later that AP should bargain for at least 10 acres for AP Bhavan-type of building. With the Telangana Cabinet resolution being forwarded to AP, it is believed that Mr. Naidu would soon convene a Cabinet meeting where the issue could be discussed.
AP Assembly building may become Museum
Mr. Chandrasekhar Rao is said to have told Mr. Narasimhan that he wished to convert the AP Legislative Assembly building into a museum.
While he did not elaborate on what type of museum would come up in the old heritage structure, Mr. Rao said his government was exploring the possibility of constructing a new Legislature complex on 15-acres in Erramanzil where the Irrigation and Roads & Buildings department offices were located.
