Visitors and tourists will no longer have to see Charminar through a cobweb of tangled wires and cables. The Archaeological Survey of India is taking steps to make the wiring discreet and light up the national monument in a better way.
The improved system will also make the 430-year-old monument in Hyderabad more accessible with better lighting inside the minarets that take visitors to the upper storey, according to officials of ASI.
On Monday night, there was a tizzy near Charminar when a pneumatic drill was pressed into service for drilling a hole within the perimeter of the monument. “There were unnecessary rumours with videos being circulated. It was for installing the generator, being done by the ASI people,” said a police official near the outpost on the eastern side of the iconic structure.
By afternoon, visitors were barred from taking photographs of the three holes that have been drilled beside the south-east minaret near the lattice.
“There is a generator near the ticketing counter which we are moving towards the eastern side. We are also installing lightning conductors on the minarets and earthing work for that is being done by the Central Public Works Department,” said an ASI official.
While the wiring may be removed improving the aesthetic of the place, the monument is undergoing a fresh round of conservation work with scaffolding being erected on the western side, inside the monument.
In May 2019, a chunk of decorative stucco work on the south-west minaret fell to the ground in the night.
Another challenge to the Hyderabad landmark has been a series of efforts to lay pipelines, sewerage lines and other utilities by digging near the site using pneumatic devices.
