Advocate-General B.S. Prasad on Monday told Telangana High Court that there was no open land of 16 acres on Osmania General Hospital premises for construction of a new building, as contended by some PIL petitioners.
As the OGH old building got dilapidated, the State government decided to demolish the former and build a new one, he said. The AG was presenting arguments in a batch of PIL pleas challenging the proposal to construct new multi-storeyed building for OGH before a bench of Chief Justice Raghvendra Singh Chauhan and Justice B. Vijaysen Reddy.
Senior counsel S. Satyam Reddy, appearing for one of the petitioners, said that a part of the old OGH building was ‘heritage structure’. Hence, it cannot be demolished. It needs to be protected, he told the bench. He contended that authorities can explore the option of erecting new building in the 16 acres of open land on OGH premises.
Though the OGH building was meant for a hospital, it was included in the list of Heritage structure due to its heritage value, he said. Justice B. Vijaysen Reddy sought to know from the senior counsel if a hospital was being run from a heritage structure in any part of the world.
Lawyer B. Rachna Reddy, representing another petitioner, said the government cannot demolish ‘heritage part’ of the OGH building. She contended that orders passed by the HC in a batch of PIL petitions challenging State government’s decision to demolish Erram Manzil building would be applicable to the present PIL petitions. Going by that verdict, the OGH building cannot be pulled down, she said.
The bench remarked that the site plan of entire OGH submitted to the bench was not clear. Examining the plan, the judges could not understand areas of the buildings and the open spaces precisely. It directed the AG to furnish a fresh and clear colour map of the site of OGH building.
The pleas were posted to September 8 for next hearing.