Step well comes to life at Bansilalpet

HYDERABAD: What began as a modest effort to reinvigorate a stepwell blossomed into a lovely celebration on Monday when minister K.T. Rama Rao inaugurated the revitalised and restored Bansilalpet stepwell amid dance, music and cheers.

The six-layer stepwell, built in the 17th century and said to bear the footprints of the Kakatiya dynasty as well as traces of the Nizam and British empires, can hold nearly 22 lakh litres of water.

What had been neglected for decades and left in disrepair was filled with nearly 2,000 tonnes of debris. The stepwell restoration cost `2.6 crore and included cleaning, dewatering, and desilting the well, as well as structural strengthening of retaining walls, rebuilding, and finishing works.

The stepwell now has an annual rainwater harvesting capacity of up to 35 lakh litres. The rejuvenated stepwell has an interpretation centre, a tourism plaza, an amphitheatre, and a café. The Rainwater Project, which has revitalised several stepwells throughout the city and state, collaborated with urban planners and architects to conceptualise the precinct development.

Speaking on the occasion, Rama Rao praised everyone who worked hard to bring the stepwell back to life. He added that a city's soul is all about its culture, heritage, and beautiful monuments, not a few concrete structures, steel bridges, or flyovers and underpasses, and that "we have unfortunately not been able to protect these places in the last few centuries, but being part of these celebrations has inspired each of us”. He emphasised that the project was more than just a beautification project, and he urged residents to help maintain the stepwell.

Minister for animal husbandry Talasani Srinivas Yadav, MA&UD special chief secretary, Arvind Kumar, Mayor Gadwal Vijayalakshmi, top GHMC officials, and Kalpana Ramesh of the Rainwater Project were present.