Hyderabad: Citizens, heritage activists, lawyers and opposition party members are pleased with the order of the High Court preventing the government from demolishing Errum Manzil.
The victory is being seen as a fine example of the judicial system working as technical details were properly researched and presented to the High Court.
A team of lawyers and heritage enthusiasts got together to research the details and presented these to the court and saved the heritage structure. It is being seen as a landmark judgment which will be referred to when other heritage structures are threatened with demolition.
Said Mr Deepak Gir of the Hyderabad Heritage Trust, “It is a landmark judgment and a big win for the people of Hyderabad. The case was fought on technical grounds and there was a lot of research carried out where all the minute details were studied and presented to the court. The judgment will pave the way for the protection of heritage structures in Hyderabad.”
Another structure that has been neglected is the Osmania General Hospital and there is a strong movement by citizens and doctors who graduated from there and are now working in the hospital, to protect it. Mr Najaf Ali Khan, grandson of the Nizam, said, “Justice has prevailed and the heritage of Hyderabad has been saved. The richness of this city is its heritage and preserving it must be the duty of every government. We are now hoping that the government seriously takes up work on restoration of Osmania General Hospital.”
Ms Anuradha Reddy, convenor of the Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage (Intach), said, “We are very happy that the High Court recognised the need to protect our heritage. Public has ownership in institutional buildings and government should support and strengthen the movement to further protect the invaluable heritage of Telangana state.”
Some political parties had opposed the decision of the state government to demolish Errum Manzil.
Congress Legislature Party leader Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka called the court judgment “a slap on the face of the government.” He said, “this is not the first time that the court has pulled up this government. It shows that they are not following the law of the land. It is nothing but an autocratic rule and the court has pointed it out to them.”
Socialist Party (India) expects the state government to obey the High Court order and protect all the 167 heritage structures and monuments in the state. BJP MLC N. Ramchander Rao said, “The High Court has questioned the need for the new Assembly. We feel KCR should not shift the Secretariat but rather work from there. The government should not act like Tughlaq and waste public money.”
