Congress leader and AICC member Aamer Javeed has alleged that Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao was trying erase the cultural heritage of Telangana and the plans to demolish Osmania General Hospital was a part of that.
In a statement here, he recalled that in the last seven years the TRS government has mooted proposals to demolish or replace Erram/Irrum Manzil, Assembly Building, King Koti (Nazri Bagh) Palace and Osmania Hospital Building. It was largely unsuccessful in their attempts, owing to immense public pressure and strict opposition from activists.
The Erram Manzil demolition was stopped in its tracks by vigilant heritage lovers who approached the High Court. With the construction of a new Secretariat complex now underway, the government has now set its destructive eyes on the beautiful Osmania Hospital building.
Now, the TRS has roped in friendly faces to build a narrative against saving the heritage building, talking of the dilapidated status. But the Congress leader reminded that in 2015, INTACH (Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage) conducted a study and found the heritage-listed hospital building stable and safe for use. A similar assessment was conducted in 2019 and INTACH found that its suggestions for the heritage building’s longevity were completely ignored.
Mr. Aamer Javeed said the friends of TRS supporting the Osmania Hospital demolition completely gloss over the fact that Osmania Hospital complex is spread over 26.5 acres and the heritage building stands on merely one acre of land. He said if the government can afford a new Secretariat and luxury vans for officials, it can certainly afford to preserve a heritage monument.
