Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao moved into his new official residential buildings complex at Begumpet here today though main opposition Congress cried foul claiming that "over Rs 40 crore of public money" has been "wasted" on its construction.
On the occasion, the CM performed a string of rituals to mark the event.
Rao, who had been staying in the Chief Minister's Camp Office built during YS Rajasekhara Reddy's regime in undivided Andhra Pradesh, moved into the sprawling new buildings complex after performing a traditional ceremony.
Known to be a religious man, the TRS chief performed 'Griha Pravesam' (house warming ceremony) along with his wife as per traditional practices. The auspicious 'muhurtham' was 5.22 AM.
Under the guidance of seer Sri Tridandi Srimannarayana Chinna Jeeyar Swamy, Rao and his wife performed 'Daiva Pravesam', 'Yati Pravesam', 'Go Pravesam' and other rituals. 'Sudarshana Homam' and 'Vastu Homam' were also performed.
Prayers of different religions were also recited on the occasion for the welfare of Telangana people.
Governor of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana ESL Narasimhan, Telangana Legislative Assembly Speaker S Madhusudanachary, Legislative Council Chairman Swamy Goud, Deputy Chief Minister Mahmood Ali, state IT and Municipal Administration Minister and Rao's son K T Rama Rao, Nizamabad MPK Kavitha, who is Chandrasekhar Rao's daughter, and state irrigation minister T Harish Rao were among those present.
Rao assumed office about two-and-half years ago as the first chief minister of the newly-created Telangana.
The official buildings complex, including the CM's residence and office, a conference hall and two existing buildings, has been named as Pragathi Bhavan by government.
The conference hall, named 'Janahita', will serve as a meeting place for the Chief Minister.
In 'Janahita', the CM will interact with various sections of the people, including farmers, workers, employees, artisans and a host of others on policy formulation and on their implementation, a state government release said.
Slamming Rao over his "new posh bungalow", state Congress president and MLA N Uttam Kumar Reddy alleged the new buildings complex was built "wasting over Rs 40 crore of public money".
He claimed that the cost of Chief Minister's new house would be nearly Rs 150 crore if land price is also taken into account.
Accusing Rao of "wasting public money to satisfy his Vastu beliefs", Reddy maintained that such "wastage" is not permissible in a socialist and democratic country like India.
According to some media reports, the posh complex came up on a space of over one lakh square feet, with several facilities and measures, including bullet-proof bathrooms.
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Governor of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana, ESL Narasimhan and his wife also attended the 'Griha Pravesam'.
The Chief Minister, who held a meeting with state ministers and officials, wished that the 'Pragathi Bhavan' (the new residential buildings) would be venue for guiding the development of Telangana, a release from his office said.
The conference hall in the complex ('Janahita') would be very useful for policy formulation and to oversee their implementation as it would be venue for meetings of district collectors and for direct interactions with people from various sections of society, Rao said.
Various functions which would be organised by the state government, including 'Iftars', Telugu new year events, would be held in the complex, he added.
