HYDERABAD:   Chief  Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao on Saturday said the temple and two mosques, which had been damaged during the demolition of the old Secretariat, will be constructed on the same premises at the State government’s expense.

The temple will be built in 1,500 sq yard and two mosques in 750 sq yard each, which would include quarters for Imams, he said.

While the foundation stone for the places of worship would be laid on the same day, after the monsoon session, Rao said the construction will be fasttracked, mirroring Telangana’s Ganga Jamuna Tehzeeb.

The Chief Minister said this at a meeting with the elders of the Muslim community, including Home Minister Mohd Mahmood Ali, MP Asaduddin Owaisi and MLA Akbaruddin Owaisi, at Pragathi Bhavan.

The mosques, which would be constructed at their original locations, would be handed over to the State Waqf Board, and the temple to the Endowments Department.

Since there is a demand from the Christian community for a church in the new Secretariat complex, the State government will construct one, Rao said.

VHP asks CM to convene meeting with pontiffs on temple construction

The Chief Minister said, “Telangana treats all religions equally and practises religious tolerance. It is a symbol of Ganga Jamuna Tehzeeb. Hence, new places of worship will be built in the new Secretariat for all religions.”

However, Vishwa Hindu Parishad’s (VHP) State president M Ramaraju and secretary Bandari Ramesh demanded that the Telangana government take action against the officials responsible for the demolition of the Nalla Pochamma temple in the old Secretariat. In an open letter to Rao, the VHP said the temple should be reconstructed in the same spot.

“Convene a meeting with pontiffs and religious heads at Telangana Bhavan on how to reconstruct the temple,” the letter read.

The VHP recalled that then Chief Minister M Channa Reddy, after a miraculous escape in a plane accident, had offered special prayers to Nalla Pochamma and built the temple at the government’s cost.

Meanwhile, Rao assured the Muslim delegation that the government would expedite the construction of the Aneesul- Gurbah, the institution which shelters orphaned Muslim children and educates them.

While 80 per cent of the construction has already been completed, another Rs 18 crore is needed and the funds will be released, he said.

Additionally, the government has decided to set up a state-of-the-art Islamic Centre in Hyderabad, for which land has been allocated. However, there has been some delay in its construction due to the Covid-19 pandemic. It will be expedited, Rao said.

“As there is a need for burial grounds around Hyderabad, we have requested the Rangareddy and Medchal Collectors to identify land. They have identified some spots. Around 150 to 200 burial grounds will be developed,” he assured the delegation.

New Ashurkhana

Rao directed the Narayanpet Collector to identify land for a new Ashurkhana, which had been damaged during road widening works.

On protecting Urdu, he said the government recognises it as the second official language of Telangana.

“Programmes will be organised for the protection and development of the Urdu language. These will be taken up by the Official Language Commission, and someone familiar with the language will be made the vice-president of the commission,” Rao said.

All India Muslim Personal Law Board member Moulana Mufti Khaleel Ahmed and Majlis Ulema-e-Deccan president Moulana Syed Qubul Badhshah Shettari, among many others, attended Saturday’s meeting.