It is as if all the authorities and safeguards to protect heritage structures simply don’t exist. Structures deemed to be of heritage value are frequently demolished by private developers without No Objection Certificates from the Hyderabad Metropolitan Development Authority or clearance from the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation. The HMDA’s Heritage Committee said that Devdi Mehdi Nawaj Jung, a large site stretching across 4,000 yards in Banjara Hills, notified in 2010, was partially demolished by a private developer in the same year without permission from the concerned authorities. However, the state government has not permitted any construction on the site.
Another heritage structure, the Krishna Reddy Building, located near the Sarojini Devi Eye Hospital in Mehdipatnam, which was notified as a heritage structure in 2006, was illegally demolished by a private land owner. “There are many such incidents in recent times where private owners demolish notified sites for commercial purposes without permission, especially in the old city area. We constantly receive calls from NGOs and others about illegal activities and forward the case to the GHMC as it falls under their jurisdiction,” said an official from HMDA Heritage Committee.
GHMC city planner Srinivas said there’s no negligence on the part of the GHMC. “When such cases are reported, it is immediately attended to. We stop the demolishing work and send a letter to the state government, following which the government will issue a G.O and prevent further constructions at the site,” he said. The HMDA has recently identified 15 new sites, including St Sebastian’s Church, Regimental Bazaar and Vivel Vardhani School, Jambagh (Koti) and sent the list to the government for final notification.