Hyderabad: While the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) authorities are busy beautifying the ground around Charminar, several high rises are coming up around the monument robbing its beauty. As per the Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Sites and Remains Act, no construction activity should be carried out in a radius of around 200 metres of a monument, protected by the Archaeological Survey of India.
The area up to 100 metres falls under the ‘prohibited’ category while the stretch between 100 and 200 metres falls under ‘regulated’ area. Nevertheless, construction activity is being carried out in full swing in the regulated area, with many property owners caring little for the rules and going ahead with the work.
While some establishments have added additional floors to the buildings, few others have recently gone ahead and constructed altogether new buildings.
“In the end, we will have only the Charminar monument with benches and stone flooring in foreground amidst contrasting concrete structures,” P. Anuradha Reddy, Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage (INTACH) member, said.
The construction activity is being carried out in full swing on Sardar Mahal, Gulzar Houz and Lad Bazaar stretch. “The commercial activity is increasing after the GHMC took up the CPP. More and more shopping complexes are coming up in the restricted area,” M. A. Sayeed, a social worker from Panch Mahalla, said. He pointed out how new structures were coming around the historic Macca Masjid as well.
“Due to lack of coordination between various government departments, such things are happening. If the authorities frame proper guidelines, then the constructions can be stopped at least now,” S.Q. Masood, a social activist from Old City, said.
Dr V. Gopal Rao, conservation assistant, Charminar ASI circle, said that whenever they come to know about new constructions in the prohibited area, they issue a notice. “After issuing a notice, we forward it to our head office in New Delhi. They take up the violations with the district authorities concerned,” he informed.
The GHMC authorities said that they check for building permissions whenever new buildings come up. If specific complaints are made by any agency, then we check it,” pointed out an official of Engineering Section of the GHMC.
