The Hindu : Naidu has his way on Nizam's jewels

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Friday, Jul 05, 2002

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National

Naidu has his way on Nizam's jewels

By Anita Joshua

NEW DELHI JULY 4. Using his persuasive skills with the Central Government once again, the Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister, Chandrababu Naidu, has secured a written assurance from the Centre that the famed Nizam's jewels would be permanently housed in Hyderabad once a secure facility for their exhibition is set up in the city with State funding.

A decision to this effect was taken over a week ago and it was apparently formally communicated to Mr. Naidu by the Union Tourism and Culture Minister, Jagmohan. As per the latest decision, the jewels — which had been mounted for nearly six months till this past Sunday at Hyderabad's Salar Jung Museum as part of a travelling exhibition — would be returned to the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) vaults in Mumbai for safekeeping till the permanent exhibition space is created for them in the Nawab's own city.

In May this year, much to the disappointment of the Chief Minister — who had been lobbying for keeping the jewels permanently in the State ever since the Government decided to exhibit them — Mr. Jagmohan ordered the closure of the exhibition and return of the priceless jewels to the Reserve Bank of India vaults on the plea that exhibiting them were proving to be a drain on the Ministry's limited resources.

Though the Ministry did explore the option of keeping the jewels in the RBI branch at Hyderabad as transporting them to the bank's headquarters would cost Rs. 10 lakhs, it has now been decided to return them to Mumbai on security considerations.

Keen as the Chief Minister was to display the jewels permanently in Hyderabad as they initially belonged to the city, he is said to have written to both the Prime Minister and Mr. Jagmohan in mid-June staking the State's claim yet again. He also offered to foot the bill to set up the exhibition facilities.

According to the Ministry, Rs. 4.5 crores would be needed to build the exhibition space and put in place the gadgets that are needed to secure the jewels estimated to be worth Rs. 10,000 crores. Besides, the State — which is eager to showcase the jewels as part of plans to develop Hyderabad into a tourist destination — has said it would acquire land adjacent to the Salar Jung Museum to build the exhibition space exclusively for the jewels.

Now that this long-standing demand of Mr. Naidu has been met, Mr. Jagmohan's suggestion that some pieces from the collection could be displayed permanently at Delhi's National Museum after its new wing is constructed with a special gallery for precious jewels has also come a cropper.

Also, with the issue being reopened, chances of the jewels travelling to other cities, as had been planned by Mr. Jagmohan's predecessors, are now not being ruled out — particularly to Maharashtra's Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Vastu Sangrahalaya which prior to the closure decision had bagged exhibition rights on the condition that it would pick up the bill.

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