One of the rock formations near Durgam Cheruvu is about to go. On the road stretch where the Jubilee Hills Road No. 45 merges with the upcoming suspension bridge over Durgam Cheruvu, two other rock formations have been pulverised. While the High Court ruling has saved the Irrum Manzil, hope hangs by a thin thread for the other heritage sites in the city.
“I had given up after Regulation 13 was scrapped. But the HC ruling has given me hope that things can still be salvaged. The most important takeaway is that the judge has pointed out the importance of heritage for the city,” says Sajjad Shahid, an engineer and heritage activist of the city.
But in a short period, Hyderabad has lost a lot of sites that were on the HMDA list for protection. Homoeopathy Hospital, Chouk; Ameen Manzil, Saidabad; Bait-ul-Ashraf, part of Lady Hydari Club, IAS Officers Club, Durgam Cheruvu Rock Formations and Baba Faqruddin Gutta rock formations have been destroyed. The Telangana High Court invoked the 1891 General Clauses Act, to give protection to Irrum Manzil under the Zoning Regulation 13 of the Hyderabad Municipal Development Authority Act. “We can assume that all the buildings now enjoy the same statutory protection as they did before the scrapping of Regulation 13. The HC said there were 151 “protected heritage buildings” after the addition of 14 buildings to the list in 2006,” says Lubna Sarwath of Save Our Urban Lakes.
No maintenance
While the blanket of protection exists for the heritage sites, many of the buildings require serious maintenance effort if they are to survive for the next generation. Nearly 12 years ago, the Hyderabad Collector was refused permission to bring down the Mahbub Mansion in Malakpet. The building exists in a similar state with elements taking a heavy toll. The Saifabad Palace or the ‘G’ Block of the Secretariat is another building which is a bone of contention. Though it was recommended for protection in 2005, it has survived multiple attempts at demolition, the last during the interregnum of President’s Rule before the bifurcation of States. “After the HC ruling even the G Block should not be disturbed,” says Ms. Sarwath.
Surprisingly, the Telangana Heritage Act brought in 2017, lists only 32 heritage structures and nine sites in Hyderabad and its surrounding areas. The HMDA classifies 151 heritage buildings with 24 listed under Grade – I, 10 under Grade – IIA, 60 under Grade – IIB, and 57 under Grade – III.
While the heritage sites have a patina of protection with vigilant activists groups raising their voice, it is the age-old rock formations that have borne the brunt of the destruction. The area around Durgam Cheruvu which was protected under Regulation 13 has been transformed beyond recognition. While the lake has shrunk, the rocks and hillocks have been blasted and cut to make way for a spiderweb of roads that connect it to the Raidurgam area. A few kilometres away is the Baba Faqruddin Gutta which has been chiselled from all sides to create one of the most significant residential areas in the western parts of the city.
It remains to be seen how the State government deals with these heritage structures and sites in the backdrop of the HC ruling in the Irrum Manzil case.
