After KCR, Telangana Lawmakers To Have Plush Homes. Taxpayers Pay 100 crores

Hyderabad: Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao recently moved into a palatial Rs 50-crore home in Hyderabad, which includes a theatre, a conference hall and apartments for officials. Now lawmakers will also have big bungalows in their constituencies.

Mr Rao aka KCR has plans to build bungalows in 104 constituencies at a cost of over Rs 100 crore, with the stated purpose of bringing elected representatives closer to the people. Apparently, some legislators had complained that they could not visit their voters as they had no place to stay.

The first of these bungalows is ready in Parkal, around 180 km from Hyderabad. Lawmaker Dharma Reddy will have an office and a home in the two-floor building.

The three-bedroom living quarters include halls, a store room and a puja room. The ground floor is for official work and has a conference hall, VVIP lounge and a waiting room for the people.

"This is for the people. The chief minister took this decision with the idea that the MLA must remain accessible to the people of the constituency,'' said state minister
Ajmeera Chandulal.

KCR has been attacked for what the opposition describes as a colossal misuse of public money, but this is not the first time in recent weeks that he has weathered criticism of this sort.

Last week, the Chief Minister gifted gold worth over five crores from public money at temples in Tirupati, fulfilling a vow he had made.

"These kind of mansions is not right. If they stay in two or three-bedroom apartments with an office, it is okay, but this is huge space, almost on an acre of land," said an opposition leader.

Another said, "KCR promised two-bedroom apartments to the poor in his manifesto. That did not happen but they are building houses for MLAs. It is not justified.''