HYDERABAD: The recent development of Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) seeking clarification from Telangana Chief Minister’s Office (CMO) on the proposed new Secretariat at Bison Polo ground decision has come as shot in the arm for the civil society that is fighting relentlessly for the plan to be dropped.
Under Team Save Bison Polo, people from different sections of the society, including historians, doctors, engineers, architects, professionals, retired government officials and residents of Secunderabad Cantonment and other parts of the city have formed a common platform to make their voice heard. The group has held several silent protests and meetings on the issue in the last few weeks, along with of course the ongoing signature campaign that was launched in November for gathering responses to be presented to Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
The group drafted a common letter expressing reservations over the Telangana government’s decision to have a new Secretariat which besides being a waste of tax payers’ money also robs Secunderabad of one of its precious lung spaces.
Since November, 12,000 of responders’ signatures were sent to the PMO, after which New Delhi sought clarifications from the state on the citizens’ objections.
Asked about the current mood in the camp, Kush Bhandari, who has been in the forefront of the campaign along with others, said that every signature that was sent to the Prime Minister had the name and contact number of the person written adjacent to it so that New Delhi took note of their concerns seriously. He said the signature campaign would continue even in the coming weeks with letters being sent in batches every few days.
Shanker Narayan, architect and Cantonment resident, said they would like to up the ante and try to meet ministers and secretaries in the Telangana government to convince them of their serious concerns. “We will not rest until the government withdraws its decision which the citizens are extremely opposed to,” he said.
