Hyderabad woke up to the news of demolition of a portion attached to the heritage precinct of Asmangadh Palace in the Malakpet area. The heritage premises is being used by St Joseph’s Public School. “The heritage structure received Intach Award in 2004 for the upkeep and preservation. Today, I got this news. The state of preservation of heritage is really sad,” said Anuradha Reddy of Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage after learning about the destruction.
A bunch of images clicked by a neighbour in a high-rise began circulating in the morning. “Before & After pictures of the heritage structure that was used as a Primary School demolished this morning by St Joseph’s School authorities,” tweeted Mohammed Habib sharing the images of destruction.
However, the iconic building of Asmangadh is intact. Built as a hunting lodge by Sir Asman Jah sometime in 1885, with finishing touches of Gothic elements, the building is a landmark as it is built on a small hillock and can be seen from a distance.
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The area and the school has seen huge changes from the time it was given an award in 2004. A new multi-storied block has been constructed on the southern side dwarfing the palatial structure.
The building enjoys protection as it is a Grade-II B site under Hyderabad Urban Development Authority notification.