The Special Chief Secretary for Urban Development on Sunday asked the police department to maintain a vigil on demolition of the heritage structure.
Today is the World Heritage Day, an international day for monuments and sites. And it's an irony that amid all this, rumours are rife that the iconic Nazri Bagh or King Kothi, the abode of Nizam VII Mir Osman Ali Khan was being demolished for the past couple of days.
However, Neeharika Infrastructure Pvt Ltd, the company who purchased it from one of the Trusts created by the last Nizam Mir Osman Ali Khan, asserted that no demolition was taking place as being reported in the media. According to them, King Kothi palace is a Notified Heritage Structure and can't be altered/modified/demolished without prior permission from Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC).
Read | World Heritage Day 2021: History, theme, significance of this day
Meanwhile, the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) sent a team of officials to increase vigil on the site. Nearby residents living in the same locality have been complaining of heavy dust coming from the palace complex and loud noises being heard from inside the palace.
People in the locality allege that some demolition work is going on inside the palace, leaving the outer walls intact. The story of historic King Kothi palace being demolished by the builder was being widely shared on social media. The Special Chief Secretary for Urban Development on Sunday asked the police department to maintain a vigil on demolition of the heritage structure.
The Special Chief Secretary also said that King Kothi palace is in civil dispute. He further said that all said owners were served notices not to alter, level and do anything. King Kothi palace is spread around 6.5 acres of land and after the demise of Osman Ali Khan, it was brought under the ambit of the Nizam Trust, managed by Nazri Bagh Trust for administrative convenience.
The Trust is believed to have started negotiations with Neeharika sometime in 2011 for the sale of the complex. Between 2011 and 2021, an ownership dispute broke out between Neeharika Infrastructures and Iris Hospitality and the matter is presently sub-judice.
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 "Rumours of demolition of Hyderabad's King Kothi are rife")
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