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Praja Bhavan

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Pragathi Bhavan
Map
General information
Architectural styleNeoclassical, Palladian
AddressGreenlands Road, Begumpet
Hyderabad 500 082
Telangana, India
Current tenantsK. Chandrashekar Rao
Chief Minister of Telangana
Construction startedMarch 2016
CompletedNovember 23, 2016; 7 years ago (2016-11-23)
CostINR ₹38 crore
(US$5.6 million)
ClientGovernment of Telangana
Technical details
Size9 acres (3.6 ha)
Floor area100,000 sq ft (9,300 m2)
Design and construction
Architect(s)Hafeez Contractor
EngineerShapoorji Pallonji

The Pragathi Bhavan is the official residence and principal workplace of the Chief Minister of Telangana. Located at Greenlands Road, Punjagutta, Hyderabad in Telangana.[1] It was designed by the acclaimed Indian architect, Hafeez Contractor.[2]

History

The new complex was the brainchild of Chief Minister of Telangana, K. Chandrashekar Rao, to help perform his duties without interruption. Some 10 IAS Officers quarters and 24 peon quarters at officers’ colony were demolished to construct the new complex. The official name stands for, Pragathi meaning progress and Bhavan for a large house or building.

The Gruhapravesam (housewarming) was performed on 23 November 2016 at 5.22 AM by the Chief Minister of Telangana, K. Chandrashekar Rao, with traditional rituals performed by Chinna Jeeyar Swamy.

Design influences

Designed by noted Indian architect, Hafeez Contractor. It has classical inspiration sources, found in neoclassical & Palladian style. The building design cues are found in historical buildings in erstwhile princely State of Hyderabad like the Koti Residency and Falaknuma Palace.

The entire complex is 100% vaastu compliant, an age old architecture tradition, and utmost care was given in choosing every aspect of the complex for bringing positive vibes to the residents. Suddala Sudhakar Teja was the vaastu consultant for the entire complex.[3][4]

Architecture

The front facade is a columned portico. The columns are on the periphery, giving large, unhindered, open-spaced halls and rooms

Construction

Construction of the Pragathi Bhavan started in March 2016, without a formal event, and completed in November 2016, in a record time of nine months. The entire complex was constructed by Mumbai-based construction company, Shapoorji Pallonji, at a cost of INR ₹38 crore (US$5.6 million) . The construction work was expedited with 200 workers, working day and night at the site.

The building complex

The east-facing building complex has a combined built-up area of over 1,00,000 sq ft, on a land area of 9 acres (3.64 hectares). The entry point into the new complex is on the north east corner. The three buildings are equipped with state-of-the-art facilities. There is a small Maisamma temple inside, the decades old temple too was rebuilt in a new location.[5] The five buildings - the residence, Chief Ministers Office, Janahitha (meeting hall), the old CM residence and Camp Office are referred as the Pragathi Bhavan.[6][7]

Layout plan

The complex is divided into two parts; the residence has a bigger slice and the other half is for the Chief Minister's Office and Janahitha. The entrance for residence is separate from office and meeting hall. The office and Janahitha are located adjacent, to the south of the residence.

Residence

The residence is on a rectangular shaped plot with two floors, and built on an acre of land, with floor area of 40,000 square feet. It has bulletproof bedrooms and bathrooms. The residence has a theater-cum-auditorium with a capacity to seat 250 people.

On the south of the residence, it has home garden on an acre land, planted with ayurvedic and other trees on the periphery, chosen by the chief minister himself. The large open ground in the front, is used to address the public, and can accommodate 5000 people.

Chief Minister’s Office (CMO)

The two storied Telangana CMO building is the Official Secretariat of the Chief Minister of Telangana. Earlier, the CMO known as the CM Peshi was located on the 6th floor of C Block in the Telangana Secretariat was facing space crunch.[8] Pragathi Bhavan is the heart of state administration.[9]

The CMO has a mini conference hall, a hall for video conferences and has hotline connections to all main offices in every mandal headquarters. Earlier, large high-level meetings were held at star hotels or other conference halls. The offices include chambers for Chief Minister secretaries and administrative staff.

Janahitha

Janahitha is a large public meeting hall, with a capacity to accommodate over 1000 people. It was inaugurated on 17 February 2017, on the birthday of Telangana CM, KCR.[10] It is single-floor building, with a floor-to-ceiling height of 24 feet, with a floor area of 15,000 sq ft. It was named as Janahitha , meaning good for the people. It is modeled on the lines of Mughal emperor, Akbar's People’s court, Diwan-i-Aam, where he met with his courtiers and subjects to discuss their issues.

The Chief Minister holds important policy meetings with secretaries, collectors, official review meetings and meeting public representatives.[11] It is also used to interact with citizens of the state like farmers, workers, employees, artisans etc. It also has a large lounge area, used by the CM for interacting with daily visitors.

Security

The tightly monitored zone has compound walls 15-feet high, electric fence. The ventilators and windows have bulletproof glass and CCTVs, is manned by 55 security personnel,[4] round the clock.[12] For security reasons, the inside layout is closely guarded. The complex has a parking facility for over 300 cars.

Old Chief Minister's official residence

Main article: Chief Minister's Camp Office

The former residence of the Chief Minister, Chief Minister's Camp Office, built in 2004, was considered inauspicious and Telangana Chief Minister stayed in it until new Pragathi Bhavan was built. Now, it is part of Pragathi Bhavan, and is used as a state guest house, and the camp office is now the Office of Inspector General (intelligence).

Chief Ministers in residence

Future plan

An adjacent plot of 10 acres is planned for building houses and camp offices for State’s Chief Secretary, Speaker of the Legislative Assembly, Director General of Police and Council Speaker.

References

  1. ^ India outrage at minister's $7.3m house with bullet-proof bathroom - BBC News
  2. ^ Vastu Or Waste? Telangana To Explain KCR's New Hyderabad Office In Court
  3. ^ KCR to move to his new official residence in Begumpet tomorrow | Business Standard News
  4. ^ a b Telangana CM Moves Into Bullet-Proof Residence Twice The Size Of A Football Field
  5. ^ Birthday wishes pour in for KCR
  6. ^ Telangana Chief Minister KCR Moves Into New 9-Acre House, Complete With Bulletproof Windows
  7. ^ KCR moves to new home where even the toilet is bulletproof
  8. ^ KCR's new 50 crore home: Telangana CM lavishness with taxpayer's money
  9. ^ Telangana: Camp office eclipses glory of Secretariat
  10. ^ Priority is to peoples’ welfare, development of State: KCR
  11. ^ Pragati Bhavan: Pragati Bhavan is pride of Telangana: K Chandrasekhar Rao | Hyderabad News - Times of India
  12. ^ Telangana CM KCR Moves Into Palatial Pragati Bhavan - Sakshipost

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