Concern over Charminar repair

Hyderabad: Repair of the damaged portion of the southwest minaret of Charminar, that faces Macca Masjid, will be completed in two weeks, according to the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI).

A large chunk of the lime plaster had fallen off the minaret on May 1. This had triggered a blame game as to who was responsible between the ASI and the GHMC which was working on the Charminar Pedestrianisation Project.

The breastwork pieces which had fallen off are being redone and it requires skilled artisans to carry out the work.

ASI superintending archaeologist Milan Kumar Chauley said, “While carrying out these works, we have also had other minor repair works which have come up and these too are being carried out. The works will be completed in two weeks.”

Concerns have been raised time and again that the material used for the restoration of Charminar must be of good quality. Archaeologists state that there is a lot of activity around Charminar which has become a matter of concern as it impacts the monument.

There is a lot of wear and tear due to the human activity in and around Charminar. The corrosion due to air pollution too can’t be ruled out.

Archaeologists state that they are also monitoring the impact of various chemicals on the monuments to understand how the deterioration occurs.