Hyderabad: The construction of the grand building of the new Secretariat is in the final stages and Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao has decided to inaugurate it on February 17. Apart from the Secretariat, the construction of mosque, temple and church was announced, but there is no possibility of completion of the construction of places of worship until the inauguration of the secretariat.
The government had announced that the construction of mosques would be completed before the construction of the secretariat, but like other announcements, this promise proved to be mere of paper. The government handed over the construction of places of worship to separate contractors but did not pay attention to the completion of the works.
Masjid Hashimi and another Masjid in the Secretariat premises were demolished along with the old buildings of the Telangana Secretariat. Accepting the demand of Muslims to rebuild the two mosques at the same place, the government allotted 1600 square yards of land for mosques and initially Rs 1 crore was allocated. An estimate of Rs 2.90 crore was prepared for the works.
The foundation stone for the construction of the mosque was laid on November 25, 2021, 16 months after the mosque’s demolition, in the presence of religious and political figures. Chief Minister KCR and Home Minister Mohammed Mahmood Ali assured Muslims in the Assembly to complete the construction of mosques by the time the secretariat is constructed, however, since the demolition of mosques in July 2020, Muslims in Telangana have been waiting for the construction of mosques. It is said that the main reason for the slow pace of construction of mosques is the lack of timely release of budget.
According to reports, the work of the roof of the mosque has been completed and the construction of the dome has started. Imam and Muezzin quarters are being constructed between the two mosques.
According to R&B officials, ablution rooms will be constructed in addition to quarters in the middle part of the mosques. Contractor has prepared an estimate of Rs 3.75 crore for the construction, while the government has released only Rs 1 crore. It is said that some changes have been made in the plan of mosques in terms of allotment of land.
In view of the inauguration of the Secretariat on February 17, the construction debris was dumped in the mosque, temple and church areas, which has affected the construction of places of worship.
According to R&B officials, it will take at least four months for the complete construction of places of worship and the completion before the inauguration of the secretariat is far-fetched.
Land has been allotted for the temple towards the Mint compound, where the construction of a beautiful temple has started while the work of the church is still in the initial stages. The government had promised to build mosques at their former sites.
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