BRS Office Row: Use Building for Public Work Instead of Demolition

Nalgonda: The dispute over the BRS district office which was constructed on prime land without municipal permission has triggered political tensions in Nalgonda.

The Telangana High Court was on Wednesday not inclined to give any protection to the BRS with regard to the unauthorised construction. The court also imposed costs of Rs 1 lakh on the party.

BRS leaders have proposed that the district authorities utilise the building for public purposes until the Supreme Court issues a verdict; they plan to appeal against the High Court’s decision in the apex court.

The controversy began when municipal officials served notices on BRS district president R. Ravindra Kumar Naik. The previous government had allocated the land — situated along the Nalgonda-Hyderabad road — for the BRS office construction in 2019, and the building was inaugurated in 2020.

After the Congress came to power, minister for roads and buildings Komatireddy Venkat Reddy warned municipal officials for their inaction regarding the demolition of the building, labelling the BRS office an illegal construction.

Tensions heightened with rumors of imminent demolition, prompting senior BRS leaders, including Kancherla Bhupal Reddy, Banda Narender Reddy, Dr Cheruku Sudhakar, and Pankaj Yadav to hold a press conference urging district collector C. Narayana Reddy to intervene.

Bhupal Reddy emphasised that the land was allocated with Cabinet approval and the party used the building for public purposes, including free coaching for unemployed youth for competitive examinations.

Referring to AICC leader Rahul Gandhi's criticisms of the "bulldozer culture" in BJP-ruled states, he alleged that the Congress government in Telangana had adopted the same culture.

A group of BRS leaders reportedly maintained a round-the-clock presence at the office to thwart any effort of municipal authorities to demolish the party office. The party cadres were also reportedly asked to rush to the party office, if any message of alert came to them about the demolition, he added.