Hyderabad: Revanth Reddy sticks to guns on Secretariat demolition

• The Congress MP casts doubts over the manner in which G-Block of the complex was demolished

• Demands the Chief Minister to appoint a committee comprising officials of Archeological Department, NMDC, R&B and other departments concerned to ensure 'excavations' are taken up in public view

Hyderabad: Undeterred by criticism over his remark of hidden treasure in the Secretariat, Congress MP A Revanth Reddy on Saturday demanded that the KCR government answer several raging questions surrounding the demolition of G-block in hush-hush manner.

For bringing in transparency over the matter, the Chief Minister should appoint a committee comprising officials of Archeological Department, NMDC, R&B and other departments concerned to ensure 'excavations' are taken up in public purview.

Speaking to media persons via Zoom app, he cast doubts over the way matter being hushed up, even as the Archeology department is being headed by M Raghunandan Rao, a senior IAS officer and relative of KCR who was given an additional charge as its Director in February.

"I suspected each move by the KCR and posting a senior officer like him to Archeology department who is a relative of Kalvakuntla family speaks volumes about the clandestine approach to the matter concerned with historic importance. If he was holding a responsible position, he should have stopped the activity, but he remained a silent spectator while structure was being pulled down," he said.

Demanding his immediate transfer and seeking handling over the department to other officials, Revanth asked the TRS government if it was sincere in dealing with structure with historic value. A new committee with overall transparency, monitored by other parties and media should be given permission to excavate the tunnels underneath. "The excavations should take place in the light of survey conducted by NMDC few years back. One of the tunnels connect mint compound, where the currency of the time was minted. Hence people suspect of underlying treasure-trove. Even one cannot ignore the fact that Centre was alerted about the possibility of secrets of historical importance beneath the Secretariat by Marri Chenna Reddy government," he recalled. On the demolition of religious structures on the Secretariat premises, he held that KCR was clear about the matter as the proposed plan released some 2-years ago never had mentioned either temple or mosque. "KCR will be facing the curse of Nallapochamma, following demolition of historic temple," he warned.