HYDERABAD:  The Hyderabad Metropolitan Development Authority (HMDA) has yet again been directed by the State government to vacate its sprawling head office complex in Tarnaka and shift to the Hermitage Complex, Hill Fort Road, in Adarsh Nagar by next month.Back in 2007-08, the civic body was asked to move out of Paigah Palace (Rasoolpura) to accommodate the office for Consulate General of the United States, Hyderabad, and was shifted to the Tarnaka premises.

Principal Secretary to Municipal Administration and Urban Development (MAUD), Arvind Kumar, who is also the HMDA commissioner, in a meeting held with HMDA Secretary, M Ram Kishan, Planning Director, and S Balakrishna directed them to prepare an action plan to move the HMDA office to the Hermitage Building complex immediately.

All works are to be completed by end of March, so that the authority can occupy the complex by April 1, 2019. Sources in HMDA said that State would take over the Tarnaka complex having an area of about 85,000 to 90,000 sq. ft and would hand it over to HMRL or others for commercial complexes.Meanwhile, HMDA authorities claimed that office needs to be shifted as the planning body office should be located close to the Secretariat for effective functioning.