Elevated road corridor in Patigadda to affect 1892 palace complex

The gateway of a palace built in 1892 in Hyderabad is set to disappear as part of a road infrastructure project.

While only the frontage of the palace gate will be erased, another landmark bastion that used to face the Hussainsagar lake is also set to be demolished for a project that will connect the Necklace Road with the busy Rasoolpura Road.

“The civic workers came and made the markings after measuring the distance from the existing road. We will lose this gate. Why don’t they take the elevated corridor a little distance away on the open land and not harm the palace complex,” says Obaid ur Rehman, a Paigah scion descended from Vicar ul Umra, who lives in the palace. 

Engineering plans show an elevated corridor that begins in Rasoolpura passes the Patigadda area and then goes over the Sanjeevaiah Park MMTS station and merges with the Necklace Road traffic.

First proposed in 2007, the road over bridge is expected to improve connectivity between Hyderabad and Secunderabad creating an alternative to Ranigunj and Somajiguda carriageway.

Beyond the Palace Gate, there is a bastion that used to overlook the eastern side of the palace. It bears the red mark with a measurement of 17.6 metres.

“The bastion will be demolished as part of the road project. The other one is still there on the western side. All countries preserve and cherish their heritage. We are the only ones erasing it bit by bit,” says Mr. Rehman, who is planning to move the courts as the Palace is listed as a Grade IIB heritage site as the Devdi Nazir Nawaz Jung in the heritage buildings list of Hyderabad Metropolitan Development Authority.

The Telangana High Court had set aside the then Bharat Rashtra Samithi government plan in 2019 to demolish the Irram Manzil to build a new Assembly building. The HC had ruled that: “The State cannot afford the luxury of forgetting that the destruction of heritage buildings will rob its people of the essence of their identity and the city of its sense of uniqueness.” 

Beyond the palace complex are the residences that began as informal settlements. “I am going to lose one malgi (shop) as the road will curve here. That building will be completely demolished,” says Mohammed Rafi, who is among the affected residents, pointing to a three-storey building which bears a marking of 16.6 m.

The Sanjeevaiah Park MMTS station has a mark of 13.3 metres that will erase its current frontage. The other houses will lose their frontage ranging from .9 metres to 20.2 metres depending on the location. 

“I had a record of racing, touching Charminar and riding back to the palace on my Jawa motorcycle in 14 minutes in the 70s. The population of the city has increased. They can still build the elevated corridor without harming our collective heritage,” says Mr. Rehman.