Hyderabad: In a controversial decision, the Telangana government on Monday released Rs 9.80 lakh to widen the road in the Secretariat between the Pochamma temple and D-Block for the smooth movement of Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao’s convoy, apparently for vaastu reasons.

With the Chief Minister’s deciding to shift the Secretariat to Erragadda in a year, questions are being raised regarding the waste of public money on such works. The Secretariat, which been serving as headquarters for both Telangana and AP governments since June 2 last, has been witnessing unprecedented modification works in the name of vaastu.

As per official estimates, the TS government has spent Rs 35 crore on vaastu changes, and the AP government, Rs 80 crore. These modification works pertain to only both the CMs’ blocks, while the total worth of renovation works that were taken up in Secretariat since June last is estimated at Rs 175 crore wasteful expenditure, if the Secretariat is shifted in a year.

The sanctioning of Rs 10 lakh to make changes in the Secretariat has raised many an eyebrow. Principal secretary Ajay Mishra issued orders sanctioning the money on Monday. The orders stated that the money would be utilised to widen the road by removing a part of the lawn between the temple and D-block for easy movement of the CM's convoy.

There is no obstruction to the movement of the convoy in the premises. The road from the temple to the CM's block was used for decades without a hitch. Security personnel clear the traffic before the CM travels, and there is no question of any traffic problem.