Nawab Fakhrul Mulk’s family to take out silent procession

Hyderabad: In a bid to save Errum Manzil, their ancestral palace, family members of Nawab Fakhrul Mulk are planning to meet Chief Minister K. Chandrashekar Rao on Wednesday to prevail upon him to drop the idea of pulling down the heritage structure.

They plan to take out a silent procession from Red Hills to Errum Manzil holding placards to highlight the issue.

The seven-member Legal Heir Association of Nawab Fakkhrul Mulk Bahadur, comprising sons and close kin of the palace builder, feel that Mr Rao could go ahead with his plan to construct a new building to house the State Assembly without demolishing the palace as there is enough space available at the site.

The palace, according to them, was a city within city spread over 400 acres with 150 rooms.  British dignitaries used to stay here as the palace had a beautiful lake, polo grounds and forested area.

“Errum Manzil is a rich heritage of Hyderabad. The government ought to preserve it and restore it to its past glory. Besides being a landmark, it has a sentimental value for the people of Hyderabad,” said Mr Shafath Ali Khan, great grandson of Fakhrul Mulk Bahadur.

Mr Khan, a well known hunter, feels helpless at the sudden turn of events. He rushed back from Delhi on Monday to find a solution to the problem facing the family which used to stay at Errum Manzil till the 1950s when it was acquired by the government. “My mother was born here,” he said and suggested that the government could use the magnificent palace to receive VIPs and foreign dignitaries.