Old City’s historic structures to get renovated

HYDERABAD: Minister for municipal administration and urban development K.T. Rama Rao will lay foundation stones for reconstruction and renovation works in various parts of the Old City on Tuesday.

Mahboob Chowk, which is known for meat and poultry, will be reconstructed in its original design with the addition of a floor to increase the number of shops. The proposed project will include street lighting, benches, garden fencing and landscaping up to the market entrance plaza. The project, being taken up at a cost of Rs 36 crore, will focus on retaining the urban identity and character of the place.

The minister will also visit Mir Alam Mandi, the oldest and largest vegetable market in the city with over 43 wholesale shops and around 300 vendors. The market will be renovated at a cost of Rs 21.90 crore with platforms in the market, market pathways, sheds, internal roads and modern facilities to cater to the market’s needs.

Also, Sardar Mahal, a heritage building built in 1900, will be redeveloped at a cost of Rs 30 crore as a cultural space to maximise the historical, cultural, social, and tourism potential of Charminar area. Rama Rao will also inaugurate the Bahadurpura flyover, built at a cost of Rs 108 crore.

Meanwhile, a skywalk of one-kilometre length and 3.5 metres breadth was inaugurated by Rama Rao to decongest traffic and ensure easy crossover of roads and connect the Raidurg Metro Station to strategic locations in and around Mindspace Madhapur campus on Monday.

Speaking on the occasion, Rama Rao said, “The last mile connectivity is one of the important aspects of this skywalk. The design aims to make the skywalk more inclusive, keeping in mind the safety of people and community development that will boost connectivity for the large working populace housed at Mindspace Madhapur and the public in general. It is expected to ease the commute for around 30,000 people on a daily basis.”

Vinod Rohira, CEO of Mindspace Business Parks, said, “We are happy to open to the public the iconic skywalk, part of our extensive upgradation of Mindspace, Madhapur. Designing high-quality modern interventions that contribute to the city infrastructure is just one of the many community focused initiatives of Mindspace REIT. Keeping the design simple, the skywalk has six staircases, five escalators and four lifts. It is designed keeping in mind people with disabilities. The skywalk has been curated with the intent to decongest traffic, ensure easy crossover of roads and improve pedestrian experience.”