Mood overwhelmingly against construction of hi-tech structure in its place

A 95-year-old heritage structure that has immense historical value and has been witness to major medical achievements in the past is in the middle of a raging controversy in Hyderabad.
The State government’s decision to construct multiple towers in place of the heritage structure of Osmania General Hospital (OGH) has sparked an animated debate among public, care givers, historians, heritage conservationists and has become an issue for the Opposition parties to badger the ruling party.
It all started when Chief Minister, K. Chandrasekhar Rao on July 23 inspected the OGH campus and later announced that the hospital would be shifted within a week and the heritage building would be replaced by a hi-tech structure in the form of multiple towers. The Chief Minister’s decision was based on a report submitted by Professor in Civil Engineering and Registrar of JNTU, Hyderabad, Dr. N. V. Ramana, which said that ‘any repair to the building may extend the life for not more than five years.’
Much to its credit, the JNTU report, has nowhere recommended that the heritage structure be demolished and made it clear that the ‘approval of the heritage committee has to be taken up before carrying out any repairs of the OGH heritage structure.’
Ironically, for the past two years, Hyderabad, which has close to 166 notified heritage structures, has not had a heritage conservation committee to look after the well-being of the historically important edifices.
Strangely though, the State government, had made its intentions known that OGH would de-listed from the heritage list, which will pave the way for construction of a modern hospital in its place. The argument from a section of doctors favouring demolition of the heritage structure was based on the JNTU report, which said that any repairs will only safeguard the heritage structure for not more than five years.
‘Grave implications’
“Imagine the implications in future if one heritage structure is de-listed from the heritage list. What will happen to the 166-odd heritage structures, most of it in private hands, located in Hyderabad? The Charminar, OGH building, High Court, Unani hospital and even the Assembly building are unique and are the identity of Hyderabad,” says Convenor, Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage (INTACH), Hyderabad, Anuradha Reddy.
An independent study conducted by a committee of experts from INTACH, headed by its Principal Director of Architectural and Heritage division Divay Gupta, said that the OGH heritage building is structurally stable without any threat to its own life or that of patients and care givers. “It has a slight fever but if treated right, the building can survive for decades”, the experts said after their visit.
With widespread opinion against the proposal to demolish the OGH heritage building, at present the health officials here have decided to postpone the issue of demolition to a later date and concentrate on shifting. “We have always advocated that the heritage structure was not safe for patients and care givers. After shifting of OGH, it’s up to the State government to take a call,” Telangana Government Doctors Association (TGDA) president M. Veeresham said.