Get Secretariat ready by Dasara: CM KCR

Hyderabad: Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao on Tuesday conducted a surprise visit to the construction site of the state-of-the art Secretariat. He instructed authorities and contract agency to complete the construction works before the deadline.

Accompanied by Roads and Buildings Minister V Prashant Reddy and a select top officials, he visited the site for the first time after the work was taken up in October last. Officials said that KCR was satisfied with the fast pace of the work. He made suggestions to overcome hurdles in transporting construction material from elsewhere in the country.

The CM enquired with officials the requirement of government support for the speedy completion of the work.

Sources said he wanted the new secretariat building completed by July this year. Earlier, the government had set the deadline before Dasara (October). As the contract agency announced its readiness to complete the work at the earliest, KCR is expecting it to be finished by middle of this year.

Earlier, the CM attended the 72nd Republic Day Celebrations at Public Gardens wherein Governor Dr Tamilisai Soundararajan hoisted the national flag. He also paid floral tributes to martyrs at the memorial and hoisted the flag at Pragathi Bhavan.

From the Public Gardens, KCR drove straight to the site near Mint Compound from the Tank Bund area. The government is to spend about Rs 617 crore to build the big-sized buildings on a sprawling campus. Chief Secretary Somesh Kumar and other officials were present.