Hyderabad: Treasury offices a big burden, may go

Hyderabad: British-era treasury offices in Telangana state are imposing a huge burden on the exchequer though they are not serving any purpose.These offices used to store revenue collections, important documents, PUC, SSLC exam question papers and answer sheets.

All departments have set up their own establishments to store the important documents, leaving the treasury offices, located at all district headquarters almost vacant. Despite this, the government has been providing armed security cover for treasury offices at a cost of Rs 4 crore every year.

The TS government now wants to abolish this custom. The issue of treasury offices came to light during a recent Budget review held by Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao. Finance officials informed him that the department had 13 offices, guarded in three shifts by a sub-inspector and six policemen.
Mr Rao was surprised to know that the security was being provided just because it had been done for decades.

Finance minister Etela Rajender said, “Only items seized by the ACB, revenue department and boxes belonging to the courts are being stored now, which can be handed over to the local police stations.” He said the department could save wastage of public money by removing round-the-clock security cover for the treasury offices.