Now, SCB poll hurdle for Secretariat inauguration

Hyderabad: The inauguration of the newly constructed State Secretariat building is likely to be postponed for the second time. Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao wanted to inaugurate it on February 17 which happened to be his birthday. But it had to be deferred due to election code for MLCs having come into force.

The government then decided to inaugurate it on April 14, Dr B R Ambedkar's birth anniversary. But the Secunderabad Cantonment Board elections which are now slated to be held on April 30 have cast a shadow on these elections as the Union Defence Ministry announced the poll date. KCR wanted to invite several leaders from other states and also hold a public meeting at the Parade Grounds soon after the inauguration. But since the poll code would be in force, it would not be possible to hold the public meeting. The SCB election code is like the model code enforced during the local body elections. No public meetings are permitted to be organize in the premises which comes under the SCB jurisdiction.

BRS leaders said that the best option before the government is to inaugurate the Secretariat without a public meeting or wait until the model code was lifted. "The CM wanted to inaugurate simultaneously the tallest 125-feet Ambedkar statue, Telangana Martyrs' Memorial and Secretariat on the same day before the public meeting in the evening.