Hyderabad: Telangana Pradesh Congress Committee (TPCC) Treasurer Gudur Narayana Reddy on Thursday demanded that the State Government use the old Secretariat building as Covid-19 hospital or a quarantine Centre instead of demolishing the present structure.
Narayana Reddy, in a media statement, said that the demolition of present structures and construction of a new Secretariat at a cost of nearly Rs. 1,000 crore would be a criminal waste of public money, especially in the present circumstances. “The end of the pandemic does not look near. Therefore, it is high time that Chief Minister K. Chandrashekhar Rao shifted his entire focus on combating the d-19 situation. Our focus should be on the up-gradation of health infrastructure and the intent of medical professionals at all levels. Access to free and quality medicare in present situations,” he said.
The leader said that the Secretariat was strategically located and many blocks were in extremely good condition. He said usable space in many blocks could be utilized as a dedicated Covid-19 hospital or quarantine facility. He said that the KCR Government should change its adamant attitude and open up for new ideas and suggestions. “KCR’s stature will not go down if he accepts the suggestions made by leaders of opposition parties. The Chief Minister should apply his wisdom and not just heart in taking decisions which can benefit the common people,” he said.
“With each passing day, the situation is turning from bad to worse. The State Government will not be able to cover up its mistakes by manipulating data on the number of cases and deaths. The real conditions will be known to everyone tomorrow, if not today. Therefore, CM KCR should not try to fool himself or others by drawing the wrong picture of the Covid-19 situation. We urge the Chief Minister to postpone the idea of the demolition of Secretariat building and convert the same into a Covid-19 hospital on war footing basis,” Narayana Reddy demanded.