New building of US consulate in Hyderabad to be ready by 2020

Hyderabad, June 3 (IANS) A permanent building of the US Consulate General Hyderabad, will be ready by 2020.

The building will come up on 12.3 acres of land at Nanakramguda in the Finance District here.

Consul General Michael C. Mullins announced on Friday that the groundbreaking ceremony to begin the construction of the new consulate compound will take place in August next year.

The new premises will have special design to reflect the unique topography of Hyderabad.

He told reporters that the consulate would receive funding for the project this fiscal year. It plans to select a builder and sign the contract by September 30 this year.

"The Consular entry of the New Compound will be able to accommodate 1,500 to 2,500 visa applicants daily, with 52 interview windows and air conditioned interior waiting rooms," he said.

Stating that the new premises will be a great gift for the people of Hyderabad, he said it will be a world-class sustainable project employing passive and integrated design principles. It will achieve key ecological goals, and reduce energy consumption.

Currently, the US consulate is functioning from leased premises of the historic Paigah Palace building in Begumpet.

The consulate was opened in October 2008. Then US ambassador to India, David C. Mulford had said the consulate will work out of the temporary facility for six years before moving into the proposed permanent facility to be built at a cost of $60 million.

In 2014, the Telangana government had allotted land for the construction of the permanent building.