Hyderabad: As news of damage to a minaret on the 16th century Indian monument the Charminar was making international headlines, two government agencies were locked in a war of words on who was responsible for the situation.
After senior officials of the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) blamed the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) for the damage saying it was using heavy machines for demolition and other works in the vicinity of the monument, a top GHMC official has hit back at the claims.
Musharraf Faruqui, the zonal commissioner of GHMC in charge of Charminar Pedestrianisation Project (CPP), said the minaret, a chunk of which fell off last Thursday, was undergoing conservation work by the ASI until recently.
“The ASI completed the conservation work on the south west minaret about six months ago. If they had found any fault at the time, it should have been set right then itself,” he said.
He rejected allegations that the underground pipeline laying work and the pedestrian project were harming the monument.
“On the other hand, the CPP has made a major positive contribution in protecting the monument by stopping the movement of vehicles and putting an end to the vibrations they were causing,” he told the media while inspecting the monument and the surrounding areas.
He said no vehicle had been allowed near the Charminar monument for the last one year.
While the ASI officials were weighing options for repairing the damaged part of the temple and what material to use, the GHMC authorities have taken yet another measure to secure all the four main roads leading towards the monument.
To ensure that no vehicle is able to enter the prohibited area automatic rising hydraulic bollards have been installed.
One of the points where 28 bollards were being installed was at the Gulzar House. They can be operated and brought down to the ground level in case of any emergency or to allow entry to authorised vehicles.
Under the project costing Rs23.8 million (Dh87 million), 125 bollards will be installed on the three other roads — in front of Mecca Masjid, at Laad Bazar and at Sardar Mahal securing all the four roads.
