Hyderabad: The preservation and conservation work of Char Kaman around the Gulzar Houz is in progress. The restoration work has been completed on two arches Machli Kaman and Charminar Kaman while work for preservation of Kaali Kaman is going on.
The Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation has re-estimated the costs of the second phase of conservation at Rs 1.48 crore and it was formally started on Sept. 2. Initially, the civic body had estimated the cost of the second phase at Rs 87 lakh. This work is part of the government’s attempt to beautify the historic Charminar under the Charminar Pedestrianisation Project.
The GHMC removed the hoardings, banners, flexis and signboards from the walls of these Kamans. The authorities faced a lot of trouble to convince the shopkeepers to allow them to start work. They were not ready to remove the hoardings and hardly allowed the civic body to start the renovation work.
The shopkeepers even occupied the area leading up the steps. At the entrance of the steps inside the Kali Kaman, a dyer had set up shop with the name of ‘Banaras Polishing Centre’. Three gold polishing shops, a cloth dyeing shop and a watch shop have occupied the space inside the Kaman.
The base and floors of the three Kamans excluding the Saher-e-Batil Kaman are occupied by shopkeepers and they lock the premises. No one knows how they occupied the area; a few of them claim ownership of the occupied spaces.
The structural condition of the Saher-e-Batil Kaman is really bad and needs repair. Wild plants are rooted in the walls. Six shops are housed inside the Kaman while the kiosks are erected within the walls of the lofty Kamans. The general perception is that these four Kamans, which are approximately 60 ft height and 30 ft wide known as Char Kaman were built after the completion of the Charminar in 1592.
