The sprawling new Secretariat building, a marvel of design, was ready in 28 months
Posted Date – Fri, 4/28/23 at 10:45pm
The newly installed fountain of the Secretariat. Photo: Anand Dharmana
Hyderabad: Telangana has made a name for itself by delivering mega projects in a short period of time and wowing the nation. While Kaleshwaram, the world’s largest water pumping irrigation project, was built in four years, the new secretariat, which covers an area of about 1 million square feet, took only about 28 months to build.
New Parliament Building and Secretariat
The construction of the new parliament building in New Delhi and the new secretariat in Telangana started almost simultaneously. The new secretariat will take office on Sunday, and the inauguration of the new parliament continues to be postponed.
According to reports, the new parliament must be inaugurated in November last year, but there is still no word on the inauguration date. Prime Minister Narendra Modi laid the groundwork for the project in 2020.
Delays in project completion significantly increased project costs. The Central Ministry of Public Works awarded the contract to a private company to undertake the project at an estimated cost of Rs 8.6 billion.
Workers paint the sidewalk of the Secretariat building ahead of Sunday’s inauguration.
Apart from this, the Telangana government named the new secretariat after Dr BR Ambedkar, the father of the Indian constitution. The Telangana government has requested to name the new parliament building after BR Ambedkar, but the Center has no word on this.
Dome, Ashoka emblem, fountain
There are 34 domes and two giant Ashoka symbols mounted on the two main domes of the Secretariat complex. These domes are built in different sizes to give an aesthetic to the complex. While two giant domes with a diameter of 55 feet and a height of 32 feet have been constructed and weigh approximately 640 tons, others have been built with diameters ranging from 21 to 31 feet. On the two giant domes, the Ashoka logo made in New Delhi is installed. They each weigh about 5 tons, are 15 feet tall, and are made of bronze.
The fountain in the complex is a replica of the fountain in the parliament in New Delhi. There are no drawings or any information on the fountains; officials visited Parliament to take the images. They are designed and built exactly like those in the Parliament.
Bahubali main entrance
As one enters the Secretariat’s main entrance, a large door welcomes visitors into the building. The four-door is 27 feet high, 29 feet wide, and 3.5 inches thick. The logs are from Adilabad and Balarshah. Approximately 77 cubic feet of wood were used for each shutter. Logs are cut, seasoned and carved to design. The doors have handcrafted handles, each weighing about 40kg and standing 8 feet high. Despite its weight and size, the door can be easily operated by one person thanks to the pivot mechanism. A brass design embedded in the door adds visual appeal.
Design life over 150 years
The new secretariat building is designed to have a service life of more than 150 years. Hyderabad is in the seismic zone of magnitude II, but the whole complex is designed and constructed to withstand the risks of seismic zone of magnitude III. Likewise, Hussain Sagar, which is opposite the complex, has the potential for high-velocity winds. The entire building is also constructed to withstand wind speeds of 44 meters per second.
As Hyderabad experienced sudden heavy rains in a short period of time, the secretariat was built in such a way that it could even withstand 20 centimeters of rain in an hour. What’s more, the entire structure is IGBC Gold certified and equipped with a 240,000 liter capacity sump to collect rainwater.
