By Mohd Ismail Khan, TwoCircles.net,
Hyderabad: Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen [MIM] MLAs have foiled attempts from the part of Department of Archaeology and Museums to remove encroachments from Badshahi Ashoorkhana situated at Pathergati near Charminar.
Syed Ahmed Pasha Quadri, the charminar constituency MLA and Ahmed bin Abdullah Balala, the Malakpet constituency MLA, along with their supporters prevented the demolition of the so called illegal stalls and shops.
Mr. Quadri called it an act to harass the poor Muslim shopkeepers. Mr. Balala said that “it is only because the court has recently taken on the department for its lack of interest in protecting the monuments; they are in a hurry burry to remove the shops existing in this area for years.”
Badshahi Ashoorkhana is one of the oldest ‘Imambaras’ of India, this royal house of mourning built by the city’s founder, Mohd Quli Qutb Shah, is remarkable for its enamel-tiled mosaic and rare relics. But a part of this 4,315 sq. meter monument has been turned into a dumping yard over the years, and besides it is now doubled up as an auction house and a parking lot.
Earlier based on a PIL filed by some heritage activists describing its pathetic condition, a Division Bench of the High Court had directed the authorities to clear the encroachments and to soon submit a compliance report. Thus the Badshahi Ashoorkhana was cleared up of all encroachments in 2009; however some shops outside the gate were left untouched.
But very recently the department was again incurred with the displeasure of the court for not starting the restoration work in the historic monument. There the department’s contention was that, in order to start the restoration work they first had to remove the remaining encroachments of the Ashoorkhana.
Though armed with the court order and two JCB machines the officials could not remove the shops. Sufficient Police security was not there and a strong resistance was offered by the locals under the leadership of their MLAs. The encroachers claimed that they have obtained permission from the Awqaf Committee of the Nizam Trust.
The Archaeology department however claims that, Badshahi Ashoorkhana being a notified protected monument is under their charge and they have grandiose plans to set up an Islamic art gallery in the now dilapidated Naqar Khana. The repair and conservation works are estimated to cost at around 60 lakh Rupees.
It seems like the Archaeological Survey of India [ASI] have now adopted a stand to take up the local resistance as an excuse before the court, thus leaving the future of the historic monument again in darkness. This is well evident from the statement of the Director, Department of Archaeology and Museums Mr. P Chenna Reddy who said that, “we have to postpone the demolition as police did not provide adequate security”. But no one knows how long the postponement might take!