After Ramappa, calls grow to save Hyderabad heritage bldgs

HYDERABAD: Buoyed with the world heritage tag for Ramappa Temple, the Telangana government’s next target is to get world heritage city status for Hyderabad. But many buildings, which have features of heritage buildings, especially in the Old City have been vanishing over past few decades.
Efforts to safeguard such buildings have been minimal and in place of 100 year-old buildings, new developments are coming up.GHMC records show that, on an average, the civic body gives 15,000 new building permissions a year. Of them about 600 to 800 applications are from Charminar zone. Conservation architects and historians say the government should take a lead to protect such old buildings.
There was a proposal by GHMC to give 50% concession in property tax for buildings that have heritage characteristics as part of Charminar Pedestrianisation Project (CPP) but this was not approved by the state government.
“The proposal was sent in 2010-11 after a joint meeting with GHMC and tourism department, mainly to encourage the owners to protect their buildings and carry out small repairs without disturbing the main structure. However, it was not implemented as it requires GHMC Act amendment,” former chief city planner, Syed Muzaffer Hussain, told TOI.
Many heritage buildings are in a dilapidated condition and require repair and renovation. Maintenance of these heritage structures is an expensive affair but many property owners are either small traders or employees, and are not able to maintain them, one GHMC official informed.
Interestingly, municipal minister KT Rama Rao in March 2017 had announced in the assembly that the state would help owners of private heritage building to maintain the structures. He had said an escrow account would be opened for heritage buildings where property tax paid by the owners would be deposited. The GHMC would also release a matching amount for maintaining the structures. However, the proposal remains on paper.
Conservation architect and urban planner Vasanta Sobha Turaga said the city qualifies to get world heritage city status. “I had made a proposal in 2002 by preparing the city’s dossier by dividing it into 10 clusters and sent it to Centre through the state. It could not be considered by the Unseco as the government has to prepare proposals with minute details of the city. Later another proposal was sent by government by incorporating some structures in 2006,” Turaga said.