Owaisi urges Telangana govt to retain SETWIN office at Purani Haveli
HYDERABAD: All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) President and Hyderabad MP, Barrister Asaduddin Owaisi, has intervened to prevent the potential relocation of a key government skill development office from the Old City. Owaisi urged Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy and the Chief Secretary to keep the SETWIN office at its historic Purani Haveli site.
SETWIN, the Society for Employment Promotion & Training in Twin Cities, has been based at Purani Haveli since it started. Owaisi highlighted in his letter that the office is vital for improving the area’s socio-economic status. He said it is a key interface for skill development, job promotion, and welfare schemes. This supports economically weaker sections, minority communities, women, and unemployed youth in the Old City.
“The location has attained permanence in public perception and continues to serve as the most accessible and appropriate site for the intended beneficiaries,” Owaisi wrote.
The intervention comes amid reports of a state government review aimed at rationalizing the use of private buildings leased by various departments, a move intended to enhance administrative efficiency and fiscal prudence. While acknowledging the objective, the AIMIM chief argued that SETWIN Purani Haveli is a special case because of its unique functional and social context.
Warns of public resistance
Owaisi warned that shifting the office would severely disrupt its public service mandate. “Any proposal to shift the SETWIN office from Purani Haveli is likely to adversely impact accessibility, participation, and service delivery, thereby diluting the very objectives for which SETWIN was established,” the letter reads.
The MP further cautioned that the move could spark public unrest. He noted that the premises enjoy long-standing public acceptance and social legitimacy, and any relocation attempt is likely to be met with strong resistance and avoidable discontent.
Further, Owaisi has instructed the local MLA of the Charminar constituency, Mir Zulfeqar Ali, to meet the Chief Minister and hand over the representation.
In his concluding appeal, Owaisi asked the state government to keep the SETWIN office at Purani Haveli, Old City, in its current location. He urged them to drop any plans to move it, saying this is better for the public and helps with smooth administration.
As of now, the state government has not issued an official statement regarding the proposed rationalization or the future of the SETWIN office. The appeal sets the stage for a dialogue on balancing administrative optimization with accessibility of welfare institutions in historically significant urban centres.
