The Telangana government is all set to revive and preserve the century-old “G-block” in Secretariat by spending nearly Rs 20 crore. The building is now in a dilapidated condition.
The building was constructed by the sixth Nizam in 1888 and was named Saifabad Palace. It was the centre for administration during the Nizam era.
It housed several Chief Ministers like Neelam Sanjeeva Reddy, NTR and Nedurumalli Janardhan Reddy. Telangana Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao is planning to shift his office to G-block after it is renovated.
The Chief Minister’s Office was shifted from G-Block to C-Block in 1994. The then Telugu Desam government had planned to demolish the building in 2004 fearing that it will collapse, but withdrew the proposal following stiff resistance from heritage activists who approached the High Court against the move.
The High Court issued stay orders.
Some employees in the Secretariat also demanded its demolition arguing that it had become ‘unsafe’ and was in a dilapidated state. However, Mr Chandrasekhar Rao, who has been giving importance to heritage structures is keen on preserving the G-Block.
Source:DC
