US Building $203mn Consulate In Hyderabad  

New York: The US State Department is to start building a $203 million consulate general complex next year in Hyderabad, one of its busiest outposts.

The contract for building the multi-building complex on a 12-acre site in a new high-tech area of Hyderabad has been awarded to Caddell Construction based in Montgomery, Alabama, and the project is expected to be completed in 2020, according to a State Department press release issued Tuesday.

While the press release did not give the value of the project, GovTribe.com, a website for tracking government contracts, gave the $203 million figure for the contract.

The department said the consulate complex will include accommodation for Marine security guards, support buildings and facilities for the consulate staff.

The consulate complex is designed by richard+bauer, an architecture company that has won several recognitions including the National Honor award of the American Institute of Architects.

The consulate, which covers Andhra Pradesh, Odisha and Telengana, was opened in 2009 and now operates from Paigah Palace in Begumpet.

It issues the fifth highest number of student visas globally and the most in India, according to Michele Bond, Assistant Secretary of State for Consular Affairs.

--IANS