Telangana

Row over alleged demolition of Hyderabad’s King Kothi palace, govt intervenes

The palace was the residence of the last Nizam of Hyderabad, Osman Ali Khan, until his death.

Written by : TNM Staff

A row has emerged concerning the alleged demolition of some structures on the premises of the King Kothi palace, which was the residence of the last Nizam of Hyderabad, Osman Ali Khan. Activists and journalists took to Twitter with photos and videos which showed that earthmovers were on the site, following which the government clarified that the palace was a notified heritage structure and no changes could happen without the permission of the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC).

While talks of selling the property were said to be ongoing since 2011, the Nazri Bagh Palace Trust — which acted as the palace’s custodian since the Nizam’s death — is said to have sold the heritage structure recently. The possession of the palace was reportedly handed over to a Mumbai-based firm, Neeharika Infrastructure Pvt Ltd. The construction firm is also involved in a legal dispute with Iris Hospitality, after it emerged in October 2019 that two people who had struck a deal with the Mumbai-based firm allegedly used fake documents to sell the property to the latter company.

The issue of the King Kothi palace’s alleged demolition came into the news last week, after several people barged into the complex allegedly at the behest of jeweller Sukesh Gupta, one of the accused in the legal dispute case. Police beefed up security and managed to avoid any untoward incidents, and several people were detained. However, following the incident, locals reported that dust was flying up from the complex and they could hear sounds of construction, which led to fears that the structure was being demolished from the inside. Several people took to Twitter to condemn the move.

“This is so tragic and unforgivably stupid and short-sighted. Future generations trying to discover their past will never forgive this generation for allowing this destruction to happen,” historian William Dalrymple tweeted.

Former Union Secretary with the Ministry of Health, K Sujatha Rao, said, “Sad to see a part of history go. In any country, this would have been restored and made into a museum for people to see that period’s architecture. All we will get instead is a multi-storeyed building, windowless and a sore to the eye.”

However, the company in question denied the allegations and said that the palace was intact. “Some papers carried out information that the King Kothi palace is being razed down and to verify the news, we visited the site and made local enquiries. The information is false and no such activities are being carried out. The palace is intact and no such construction or demolition is being carried out,” TNIE quoted a press statement by Neeharika as saying.   

As the issue came to light, GHMC officials also visited the site. While they did not see any earthmovers, they said that they noticed the tyre marks of the vehicles.

“Further, it is noticed that the main facet i.e. Pardha Gate of the palace towards the north side is intact. However, structures towards the south side had partly collapsed and some parts of the old structures around the property were also partly collapsed,” a GHMC statement said. The palace, built in the early 20th century was the residence of the Nizam from when he was a young man till his demise. It features on the list of heritage structures notified by the Hyderabad Metropolitan Development Authority (HMDA).

Taking to Twitter, Municipal Administration and Urban Development (MAUD) Secretary Arvind Kumar issued a clarification, which said, “The King Kothi palace is a notified heritage structure and can't be altered, modified, demolished without prior permission from the GHMC. It’s in civil dispute. All said owners are served notices not to alter, level or do anything. Police are asked to maintain vigil.” 

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