Nizam’s kin wants enquiry into hangar collapse

HYDERABAD: Alleging sabotage behind the recent collapse of the Mississippi Hangar, Nizam’s Family Welfare Association on Saturday requested Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao to order a judicial probe into the matter.

“There are allegations doing the rounds that the hangar was sabotaged. A fact-finding committee should be constituted with experts of heritage monuments and buildings for other properties which need immediate restoration,” Nawab Najaf Ali Khan, President of Nizam’s Welfare Association and grandson of the seventh Nizam Mir Osman Ali Khan Bahadur, said. The government should also come out with a white paper on Heritage properties in the State, urged Khan in his letter.

On Thursday, the 88-year-old Nizam-era aircraft hangar near river Musi in Gowliguda had come down crashing. It was known as Central Bus Station (CBS) till the construction of Mahatma Gandhi Bus Station (MGBS) at Imlibun in 1994, and hundreds of buses used to operate from here.

“If such properties are deliberately neglected by authorities, several historical landmarks will disappear from the city,” Khan said. “Buildings such as Osmania General Hospital area which is spread out over 27 acre, Chest Hospital and Saifabad Palace inside the Secretariat premises would be next in line for demolition if authorities continue neglecting historical landmarks,” he said.

Speaking to Express, he said, “When tourists come to the city, they don’t want to see the Hitech city, they want to experience the culture of Hyderabade and see the historical sights. Who will come if all these are neglected?” “We humbly appeal to the Chief Minister to direct the concerned authorities to restore all heritage properties keeping the glory of Telangana for our future generations,” he added.

Heritage clock tower to be restored

Hyderabad: Compounded by recent collapse of Mississippi Hangar, for which many have blamed the State government for its neglect, the administration seems almost jumpy when such an issue is posted on social media sites. On Friday, columnist Mohan Guruswamy wrote in a long post, “This is the historic Clock Tower at Shalibanda in Hyderabad. It is part of the Raja Rai Ram temple. The clock has stood still for some time now.

The access to the top of the tower has been encroached by a person who has built a house blocking it. The machinery of the clock is in working order and waits for the time to pass for the encroachment to be vacated.” Less than 12 hours later, on Saturday morning, AIMIM MP Asaduddin Owaisi responded promising “immediate action to protect historical monuments. He also urged Ravi Kiran Reddy, GHMC South Zone Commissioner to take police protection if required for the monument.