Demolition of Errum Manzil Palace stayed, no “vaastu compliant” secretariat for KCR yet

Wed, 10 Jul 2019 06:41:05 +0000

Hyderabad: In a setback for the Telangana Chief Minister K. Chandrashekhar Rao, the Telangana High Court (HC) stayed the demolition of the historic Errum Manzil Palace and the existing secretariat complex on Monday. As reported in News18, KCR had planned to build a new secretariat and assembly complexes which are “vaastu compliant” after his “vaastu advisor” had provided inputs on the construction of the new complex and had said that the existing secretariat has a “vaastu dosha” (danger).

On June 27, Rao even laid the foundation stone for the new buildings with the plan to demolish the existing secretariat complex near Hussain Sagar to build a new one, while the heritage Errum Manzil building was to be demolished for a new assembly building. Assembly sessions currently take place in a palace built by the Nizams, erstwhile rulers of the Hyderabad state. The former is expected to cost the exchequer Rs 400 crore, while a new assembly building would cost Rs 100 crore.

However, a bunch of petitioners approached the HC, pleading for a stay on the demolition. On hearing the petitioners on Monday, the HC put a stay on the demolition and asked the government not to take any further action till further orders are issued. Chief Justice RS Chowhan directed the government to file a counter in 15 days clarifying the decision to demolish the structures. The government counsel which initially sought more time to file the counter said he will continue the arguments on the issue with details. The court sought to know why the government is planning to demolish Erram Manzil when the matter is sub-judice and owners are opposing it.

The Nawab family members, who are one of the petitioners, urged the court to stop demolishing Erram manzil structure as the case is pending before the Court since 1951. The Nawabs argued that the government can’t demolish the historic structure as the final court verdict is yet to come. They are even demanding compensation. Social activist P Mallaiah was another petitioner in the case.

Major opposition parties such as the BJP and the Congress have united to oppose the government’s plans, while several non-political groups have also opposed the move. There is a probability that the KCR government will approach the Supreme Court to challenge the HC order. Notably, the Congress and other opposition parties are also planning to move the apex court against demolition citing the existing structures are safe to function and building new structures will lead to “wastage of public money.”

Interestingly, the Telangana unit of the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP), the youth wing of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), the parent organisation of the BJP, have submitted a memorandum to the district collector following the alleged temple vandalisation in Hauz Qazi, Delhi. S. Kailash, VHP convenor, reportedly said, “We all had convened a meeting during which we decided to submit a memorandum to the respective collector of our district on July 9. We will later submit it to the President of India.” Kailash further added, “The basic objective of this is to stand up for the atrocities against the Hindu community by other communities.”

The Errum Manzil palace was built by Nawab Fakhr-ul-Mulk Bahadur, a nobleman of the Hyderabad state, about 150 years ago. He was a great disciplinarian and a man of very fine taste. Mulk was a minister in the sixth Nizam’s court and is also credited with constructing other heritage monuments in the city such as the Asad Bagh (Nizam College), Iram Manzil (Chief Engineer’s office, Punjagutta) and Iramnuma (T.B. hospital, Erragadda). Incidentally, KCR had even shortlisted Chest Hospital, a 100-year old heritage building, for constructing the secretariat. However, opposition by activists compelled KCR to search for alternatives.
More about Errum Manzil Palace:

Built around 1870, Errum Manzil literally means ‘Paradise Mansion.’ Built in the Indo-European Baroque style of architecture, the palace had over 150 rooms furnished with Louis XVI furniture, nine-hole golf course, polo ground, stable for horses and a dairy farm. The palace was full of stucco and ornamental works. The palace was used to overlook the Hussain Sagar, but this view has now been blocked by other buildings. The palace is located atop a hillock known as Erragadda or “red hill.”

Errum Manzil was used for royal banquets and other grand events. Later, the palace was taken over by the Government to be used as a records store-house. After some years it was again transferred into the hands of Public Works Department. Presently this palace houses the offices of the Engineers-in-chief and the Chief Engineers of the Roads and Buildings and Irrigation/ Command Area Development Departments.

The HC ruling comes as a major relief for the locals and activists who have been protesting against the government’s decision to raze the heritage structure.

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Demolition of Errum Manzil Palace stayed, no “vaastu compliant” secretariat for KCR yet