Hyderabad: With the Metro Rail phase-II project entering the Old City, officials from the land acquisition department of the Hyderabad collectorate and Hyderabad Metro Rail Limited (HMRL) surveyed and demarcated land along the route that connects Mir Alam Mandi and Darulshifa.
Around 2,465.43 square yards have been identified for acquisition. The owners of many of these properties said they were not informed. The sudden arrival of the officials left locals puzzled, as they provided no details regarding the placement of pillars or the location of stations.
Officials were unaware of the protected heritage structures along the proposed path of the Corridor 6 of the Metro Rail from Mahatma Gandhi Bus Station (MGBS) to Chandrayangutta. Notable among these structures are Grade-II B protected heritage buildings, which include the Purani Haveli complex that houses the Nizam Museum, schools and training centres and Princess Esin Women's Education Centre, which has a primary school and two colleges for women.
The land acquisition department notifications dated July 31 and August 7, listed personal properties that share boundaries with ashoorukhanas.
Roads will be widened up to 100 feet, and at locations where stations will be built, 120 feet. The road width is 60 feet between Darulshifa and Shalibanda junction, and later it becomes 80 feet till Chandrayangutta.
When a Google Maps image shared by HMRL was zoomed in, it showed many mosques falling directly on the corridor on Darulshifa road. The famous Khadeem Munshi Naan, which has been in existence since 1851, is among the shops that will be affected.
“We received a notification stating that the Princess Esin centre building is included in the Metro Rail construction plans. Last week, officials arrived unexpectedly and said they needed to measure and mark the area inside the college. We watched them draw lines and divide the complex like a piece of cake,” said an insider at the Princess Esin centre, who requested anonymity.
“The marked area means we will lose 11 classrooms, bathrooms, and the area at the entrance of the complex, leaving no space for children to enter the school," the official said.
"The officials were polite but offered no information about the alignment. They claimed they were acting based on satellite images and were instructed to demarcate the area," another local commented. He also said that there should be coordination between HMRL, the land acquisition department, contractors, and the community.
The notified property owners have been asked to submit their objections at a meeting scheduled for October 5. Those who surrender their property will receive a compensation of ₹57,000 per square yard.
Speaking to Deccan Chronicle, HMRL managing director N.V.S. Reddy said: “All religious, heritage, and other sensitive structures are being protected through innovative engineering solutions and careful adjustment of pillars and stations. No heritage or sensitive structure will be demolished or touched," he told Deccan Chronicle.
Asked how the road widening will take place without "touching" the structures on the side, and what encapsulates "innovative engineering solutions", he said, "There are very few such structures which are affected and we are avoiding road widening there. Engineering solutions are quite complicated to explain as each one is different."
He said 1,200 properties had been identified along the 7.5-km stretch passing through Darulshifa, Purani Haveli, Etebar Chowk, Alijakotla, Mir Momin Daira, Haribowli, Shalibanda, Shamsheergunj, and Falaknuma Road.” “Land will be acquired according to the provisions of the Land Acquisition Act," N.V.S. Reddy said.
Heritage activists have expressed concern over lack of information regarding the Metro Rail alignment. "The area has many heritage structures. Spot inspection needs to be done. The information about planning and development needs to be made available online. We were told the same things for Nampally Sarai and Sultan Bazaar in the previous phase," said Anuradha Reddy, convener, Intach-Hyderabad.
