Telangana high court grills state on arts panel

Hyderabad: Asking whether an Urban Arts Commission is existing or was constituted earlier in the state, the Telangana High Court directed the TS government to submit details about such a commission which is to be constituted under the Urban Areas (Development) Act of 1975

In each state for protection and conservation of heritage structures.  The division bench comprising Chief Justice Raghav-endra Singh Chauhan and Justice Shameem Akther raised the issue while senior counsel Niroop Reddy brought to the notice of the court on Monday that the Commis-sion had identified  Errum Manzil  as one of the 10 distinguishable architectural styles prevalent in Hyderabad, which is to be protected as per the Constitution.

Mr Niroop Reddy, counsel representing senior journalist Pasham Yadagiri, who filed a PIL challenging the Telang-ana Heritage (Protection, Preservation, Conserva-tion and Maintenance) Act 2017, stated that the enactment by the ;egislature had led to utter confusion in the preservation and conservation of ancient monuments.

His counsel submitted that as per the resolutions of Unesco’s World Heritage Convention of 1972  which was adopted by India in 1975,  states have a bounden duty to protect ancient monuments to pass on to generations of the future, their rightful inheritance. The bench adjourned the case to Tuesday.