Telangana spends Rs 19 lakh to save ministers, officials from heat
AC units were recently purchased for installation in five ministers’ quarters
By : L. Venkat Ram Reddy
Update: 2015-04-23 01:26 GMT
Hyderabad: With summer temperatures soaring, Telangana ministers and officials have asked for additional air conditioners at their residential quarters. The General Administration Department has received many such proposals in the last week.
AC units worth Rs 19 lakh were recently purchased for installation in five ministers’ quarters in Banjara Hills and many more such requests are pending with the government. Around Rs 3.75 lakh was sanctioned to install five AC units in quarter no.5 occupied by Deputy Speaker of Legislative Assembly, Mr M. Padma Devender Reddy.
Another Rs 5.85 lakh was sanctioned to install eight ACs in the quarters occupied by agriculture minister Mr Pocharam Srinivas Reddy. Similarly, Rs 3 lakh was sanctioned for installing four ACs in quarter no. 7, where irrigation minister Mr T. Harish Rao lives. The government has sanctioned Rs 3 lakh each for installing four ACs in quarter nos. 11 and 12, occupied by forest minister Mr Jogu Ramanna and finance minister Mr Etela Rajender respectively.
Secretary of the roads and buildings department, Mr Sunil Sharma issued orders sanctioning Rs 18.60 lakh for the purpose. Senior IAS officers of principal secretary level are also seeking additional ACs in their official quarters, stating that the existing ACs were not sufficient to tackle the severe summer heat.
However, the government has been advising officials to keep the state’s financial constraints in mind before seeking additional ACs. The GAD has even issued an advisory asking the R&B department to look into other options like using centralised airconditioners.