KCR opens Dr B R Ambedkar Telangana Secretariat, assumes office at 1:32 pm

HYDERABAD: Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao (KCR) on Sunday formally assumed office at Dr B R Ambedkar Telangana Secretariat, the new seat of state’s administration, after formally inaugurating it here.

Upon his arrival at 1:17 pm, KCR got down from his vehicle and headed towards the site of Sudarshana Yagam and Chandi Homam on the new Secretariat premises. He was accorded a traditional welcome by vedic scholars and priests. After offering purnahuthi at the Yagam site, he got back into his vehicle and headed to the entrance of the Secretariat building.

There, taking a ceremonial guard of hour, KCR took the staircase to step into the building where he first unveiled a plague and cut the ribbon, marking the formal inauguration of Dr B R Ambedkar Telangana Secretariat.. Then, he was driven for about 50 metres on the ground floor corridor of the secretariat in a battery car. He was accompanied by Chief Secretary Santhi Kumari and Roads and Buildings Minister Vemula Prashanth Reddy.

After attending brief puja, he once again got on to the battery car to take the lift to reach his sixth floor office. After a brief puja and taking harathi there, he formally assumed the Chief Minister’s seat at exactly at the pre-decided muhurtham of 1:32 pm and immediately signed on the first file pertaining to regularisation of services of contract employees. He reportedly signed on a total of six key files and of them was related to the long-pending issue of podu lands of the tribals in the state. He was helped by CS Santhi Kumari, his personal secretary Smita Sabarwal and a battery of officials.

Later, seated in the Chief Minister seat, KCR was blessed by vedic scholars and priests by chanting hymns. He was first greeted by Telangana Legislative Assembly Speaker Pocharam Srinivasa Reddy and Telangana Legislative Council Chairman Guttha Sukhender Reddy besides the entire team of his ministers by presenting him with bouquets.

Several ministers including Prashanth Reddy, Harish Rao, Talasani Srinivasa Yadav, Koppula Eshwar, Srinivas Goud and Satyavathi Rathod paid obeisance to their leader by touching his feet. MLA Danam Nagender was also seen paying similar respect to KCR. Later, all the senior government and police officials and a large number of people’s representatives greeted and congratulated the chief minister with bouquets on the occasion of assuming office from the new secretariat.