Vaastu advice troubles government officials

Hyderabad: IAS officers are upset at the way their association’s property has been encroached upon by CMO officials to keep in line with “Vaastu advice”. Officers claimed that they had been kept in the dark on the issue.

They are now concerned that other facilities on the premises like the tennis court, gymnasium, yoga hall and function hall might also be demolished. While TS officers remain tight-lipped on the issue, surprisingly the AP officers too are silent.

Sources, however, said that the AP officers have decided to take up the issue with Governor E.S.L. Narasimhan and Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu on Saturday and will urge them to stop modification works on the premises.

The Andhra Pradesh officers’ contention is that the TS government cannot act unilaterally on the issue since the premises serve the officers of both states and as per the AP Reorganisation Act, Section 8 (1), only the Governor has the power to take a decision on the management of government buildings in the common capital Hyderabad for 10 years.

The controversy has been raging over these premises ever since Mr Rao indicated shifting his camp office to this location on vastu grounds. Though no official announcement has been made to this effect so far, TS R&B officials had started works in January to level the ground at the rear of the four-acre plot, where the swimming pool was located.

Officials who were under the impression that only “levelling” would be taken up to comply with vastu norms, were shocked to find their swimming pool demolished. Official sources said  Mr Rao is yet to take a final decision about taking over the entire four-acre property to build a new camp office or use only a portion of it, near the swimming pool, to construct a building for visitors to his camp office.

Though the existing camp office has a block for visitors, it is not being used on vaastu grounds. The premises had been leased out to the association for 33 years in 2000. AP officials are worried that the lease may be cancelled any time and they thus want the AP government and Governor to act before TS issues orders in this regard. There are also heritage issues involved. A 125-year-old building here was listed as a heritage monument in April 2006.

It remains to be seen how TS would secure approvals from heritage committees to demolish it to pave way for the CM’s new camp office. When contacted, Mr Suddala declined to comment.