Hyderabad: Structural engineering experts said the heritage building of the Osmania General Hospital (OGH) was structurally fit, while members from the TS Medical Services Infrastructure Development Corporation (TSMSIDC) said that even if it was renovated, there would still be issues with leakages and the roof patches would keep collapsing.
A visit to the hospital revealed that it was only the in-patient (IP) block that required immediate attention. The block is not being used and patients are being treated in the Quli Qutb Shah Urban Development Authority (QQSUDA) building.
“The OGH building is in a state of utter neglect. However, it is structurally sound and can be repaired with adequate conservation measures," said S.P. Anchuri, vice-president (south), Structural Engineers World Congress.
Anchuri was part of the committee that prepared the Intach-Hyderabad (Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage) along with Divay Gupta, a cultural heritage specialist and conservation architect. The Intach report had mentioned that the heritage block was in a very good, structurally stable, condition, and did not pose a threat to itself or its occupants, provided immediate steps are initiated to repair and restore the structure and ensure proper maintenance .
The TSMSIDC engineers and officials who are stationed in the hospital and at Koti spoke about the OGH structural stability, stating that they visit the IP block frequently.
TSMSIDC engineers pointed out that the patients can be fully accommodated only if a 12-storey building replaces the heritage one.
“Renovation taken up earlier did not yield any results. The leakages were not arrested and washrooms continue to remain in a pathetic condition,” said a corporation engineer.
Among other things that caught one’s eye was the terrible condition of the roof and erosion in some locations, while the block’s exterior was dilapidated.
“I will not call the structure structurally fit or unfit, I will call it unstable. Only non-destructive testing (NDT) can assess to what extent the building is safe or otherwise,” said Dr. N.V. Ramana Rao, director at NIT-Warangal.
