Rs 1.25crore estimate given for Andhra Assembly makeover

Hyderabad: With elections approaching, the 100-year-old Assembly building is set to get a makeover. The Roads and Buildings department, in consultation with the Department of Archaeology and Museums, has submitted an estimate of Rs 1.25 crore for the restoration. Tenders have been invited and the last date for that is March 15. However, there is a possibility of the process getting delayed till June if the election code is not relaxed.

As the building is built with traditional materials like lime and mortar, heritage experts have been stressing the need for maintenance. “The building has many broken sun shades, the plaster is peeling off, the roof is leaking and the lime mortar mixture has deteriorated. Though painting has been done, in the last three decades no major restoration work was conducted,” said M.M. Alim, engineer, department of archaeology and museums.

The building was constructed to mark the 50th birthday of the Sixth Nizam of Hyderabad, Mir Mahboob Ali Khan. Construction began in October 1905 and it was ready by 1911. The secretary of the AP Legislative Assembly is the custodian of the building, and he is the authority for taking decisions on beautification. “The superintendent engineer of the Roads and Buildings department has given the estimates. We have to wait till we receive the tenders,” said Raja Sadaram, secretary, AP Legislative Assembly.

Meanwhile, G. Sameer Kumar, executive engineer, Assembly building division said, “The building is old. We have been told to improve its stability. The estimates have been approved. The tenders were issued before the election dates were announced. But, with the election code in place, we have to wait till March 15, only after which the tenders can be finalised. Also, the works will be entrusted only after relaxation of the code. The secretary has to take permission from the Election Commission."

The building completed its centenary in 2013. There was a proposal to celebrate 100 years of the historic building, which did not materialise.
“The proposal was not taken seriously and a golden opportunity was lost. Heritage is important. This building was designed by fusing Persian and Rajasthani styles. In fact, the Nizam Government had issued a stamp for it in February 1947. With the state’s bifurcation, we have to focus on preserving heritage structures,” said Safiullah, a heritage expert.