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Heritage Conservation Committee

64th Meeting: Minutes

DATE: 27th May 2006

TIME : 3.00 P.M.
PLACE: Office of the Hyderabad Urban Development Authority,
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Paigah Palace, S.P.Road, Secunderabad-500 003.

Item no 1.
CONFIRMATION OF THE ALREADY CIRCULATED MINUTES OF THE 63rd
MEETING OF THE HERITAGE CONSERVATION COMMITTEE HELD ON 20th
April 2006.

Minutes were confirmed with the following corrections:

Item no 9, sub-paragraph (d) of the minutes of the 63rd meeting shall read as
follows:
It was suggested that a proposal may be sent to Government that in future the
Heritage Conservation Committee may continue to function even after the expiry
of its term in order to avoid public hardship during the intervening period, till the
Government orders re-constituting the committee are issued.
Here, the word a appearing in the minutes is replaced by the phrase in Italics and
in bold letters.
It was suggested that a letter may be sent to Government communicating this correction.

Item no 2.
Making Additional Commissioner of MCH a Co-Opted Member of H.C.C.

Since the key to effective implementation of the regulations was a strong administrative
will on the part of the Local Bodies responsible for granting new permissions, it was
suggested that the Additional Commissioner of Municipal Corporation responsible for
Town Planning permissions should be made a Co-opted member of the Heritage
Conservation Committee. Vice Chairman HUDA may take up this matter personally with
the Commissioner MCH.
Only such an arrangement will enable refusal of permission for any new construction in
case of deliberate damage to Heritage Buildings.
In addition to that the regulations and the Acts may be amended to lend additional
support.

Item no 3.
Follow up of reported violation of the recommendations of the Committee.

Regarding Sri Manik Raos application about unauthorized construction on site adjoining
Shyam Rao Chungi, a Heritage Building, Vice Chairman HUDA may address a D.O.
letter to Commissioner MCH to get the latest position of the reported court case.
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Item no 4.
Training /Orientation Programmes for sensitising officials in Government
departments in heritage buildings repair and conservation.

It was suggested that one of the most important tasks before Hyderabad Urban
Development Authority and the Heritage Conservation Committee is to create awareness
and to build in-house capacity of government and municipal officials in the techniques of
conservation of Heritage Buildings. This is a specialized job and requires understanding
of the traditional building materials and methods of construction.
It was suggested that HUDA may formulate a training programme for officials of the
following departments to begin with:
1. PWD R & B.
2. Municipal Corporation of Hyderabad
3. HUDA
For this purpose a training capsule of three-four days may be designed. It was suggested
that the School of Planning and Architecture, New Delhi (a Deemed University under the
Ministry of HRD, Government of India) has a full fledged department of Architectural
Conservation. HUDA may engage the SPA as consultants to conduct the programme. The
programme will have introduction to the basic principles and also hands on training on
conservation techniques and on the procurement of appropriate building materials.
HUDA may get in touch with the SPA New Delhi for this purpose.

Item no 5.
Co-opting of additional members.

It was already suggested at item no 2 above that the Heritage Conservation Committee
may adopt the Additional Commissioner in charge of Town Planning in MCH as a Co-
opted member. In addition, as was done by the previous Committees, the Superintending
Archaeologist of Archaeological Survey of India ( GOI) based in Hyderabad may be
made a co-opted member.
Besides these two, the Committee decided to adopt the following persons as Co-opted
members.
1. Dr V.V.Krishna Sastry, former Director of Archaeology of the Government
of Andhra Pradesh.
2. Sri G. Kisan Rao, Former Director of Tourism, Government of Andhra
Pradesh.
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Item no 6.
Conservation of Government Owned Heritage Buildings and assistance under
JNNURM.

a. Sri Rahul Mehrotra Architect from Mumbai who has done major
conservation projects in Hyderabad for Chowmahalla and Falaknuma
palaces etc, may be engaged as a Lead Consultant on appropriate terms
and conditions to prepare the estimates for repairs for selected
Government buildings. These estimates can also be used to prepare
Detailed Project Reports (DPR) for submission of heritage building
projects to the Government of India for assistance under the
JNNURM.
b. Sri V.Raghavan Member was requested to select Government owned
Heritage Buildings for the first lot of conservation projects.
c. It is also proposed that the Chairman and members of the Committee
may call on the Honble Chief Minister to highlight important issues
and also to put forward specific conservation projects with the help of
DPRs for a few Heritage Buildings.
d. In this regard Vice Chairman HUDA may hold meetings with
concerned Secretaries to Government controlling major Government
owned heritage buildings like State Central Library, Industries
Commissionerate etc, so that the available state budget provisions for
these buildings could be dovetailed in to the JNNURM assistance as
state component for effecting synergy and also scientific conservation.
e. In addition, the Ministry of Urban Development Government of India
may be addressed to communicate a panel of consultants for preparing
DPRs under the JNNURM project.
f. A Concept Note for funding of conservation projects by trade, industry
and Corporate Houses may be prepared by HUDA to pose some
projects to sponsors.
g. It was suggested that the earlier proposal already approved by the
Heritage Conservation Committee as well as the Board of HUDA to
put up sign boards on all Heritage Buildings should be taken up for
implementation.

Item no 7.
Government notification of 14 additional Heritage Buildings in Hyderabad city.

Based on proposal submitted by Vice Chairman HUDA for notification of additional

Heritage Buildings after publication of the list for objections and suggestions and after
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examination by the H.C.C, the Government have issued GO Ms No 185 dated 22-4-06
notifying 14 additional buildings as follows:

S.No. Name of the Building Location Grade

1 St. Georges Grammer Abids, Hyderabad II B
School Complex
2 Old Jail Complex Monda Market, II B
Secunderabad
3 P. Ramachandra Pillai Mehboob College, II B
Memorial Hall Secunderabad.
4 C. V. Padma Rao Mehboob College, II B
Memorial Hall Secunderabad
5 Muthiala Raman Mehboob College, II B
Memorial Hall Secunderabad
6 Wesley Church Secunderabad II B
Complex
7 St. Marys Presbytery, Secunderabad II B
St. Ann's School
8 Mr. Krishna Reddys OP. Crescent Hospital, III
Building Mehdipatnam
9 Bhoiguda Kamaan Mangalhaat, I
Hyderabad
10 IAS Officers Green Lands, II B
Association Building Hyderabad
11 Mittika Sher Near Sher-E-Batil I
Kamaan, Hyderabad
12 Nampally Sarai Nampally, Hyderabad II B
13 Sheik Faiz Ki Kamaan Yakutpura, Hyderabad I

14 Ghode ki Qabar Near Gyanbagh I

Panmandi, Hyderabad

HUDA had published newspaper notices in May and June 2005, proposing to notify 20
buildings. After examination of the objections and suggestions the Heritage Conservation
Committee suggested to notify 16 buildings by excluding the following:

1) Family Planning Office, Somajiguda

2) Goshamahal High School, Osmanganj road.
3) Chadarghat High School, Abids.
4) Mr Mistrys Residence.
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The Government while approving the proposal excluded two more buildings from the list
submitted by Vice Chairman HUDA namely

1) Imdad Building, Abids

2) St Lukes Hindustani Urdu Church, Chirag Ali Lane.

Thus the number of additional buildings finally notified by the Government is 14.
This was noted by the Committee.

It was suggested that HUDA may publish the revised and enlarged list in the form of a the
booklet for sale to public.

HUDA should also publish newspaper notices in three languages about the additional
Heritage Buildings notified for public information.

Item no 8. ( Action Taken) Modification to Plan from Recreation (Park &

Playground) Use to Institutional Use at Jubilee Hills road no 45 & 46 also forming
part of Heritage Precinct ( Rock) no 5 Cliff Rock.

It was suggested that Vice Chairman HUDA may convene a meeting with Commissioner
MCH, Collector Hyderabad with Chairman Heritage Conservation Committee for
highlighting the need to prevent encroachment on Heritage Buildings and Heritage
Precincts.

Item no 9.
Proposal to notify the Baba Fakhruddin Aulia Dargah and surroundings in
Popalguda area as a Heritage Precinct.

Sri Narendra Luther, President of Society to Save Rocks Hyderabad in his letter dated
9th April 2006 requested Vice Chairman HUDA to notify Sy nos 452/1, 448, 450/1 and
450/2 of Poppalguda village as Heritage Precinct.
These areas were inspected by Chairman H.C.C, Mrs Frauke Quader, member H.C.C,
Vice Chairman HUDA and others on 8th May 2006. It was noticed that the entire area
consists of large Hillocks of volcanic granite rocks dominating the skyline of this part of
the city and the Baba Fakhruddin Aulia Dargah was located on hill top in survey number
450/1. The area also had an ancient temple in sy nos 452/1.

This group of hillocks is earmarked in the notified Zonal Development Plan for
Poppalguda Zone for the following Land Use categories:

Poppalguda village sy nos Land Use as per ZDP

450/1 Recreational Use
450/2 Recreational Use
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448 Recreational Use

452/1 Conservation (Hillocks)

During inspection by Chairman and members it was suggested that these sites should be
declared as Heritage Precinct because of the following reasons:

1) Their reservation in the ZDP as Recreation and Conservation (Hillock) zones

2) Their scenic and natural heritage value for the ecology of the area whose
surroundings are fast developing into high density IT, ITES and townships.
3) Their importance as lung-spaces.
4) Their landscape value.
5) Their importance as some of the most imposing and pre-historic Rock
Formations in Hyderabad.

After examining the facts the Heritage Conservation Committee made the following
suggestions:
a. Vice Chairman HUDA may publish newspaper notices in three local
newspapers inviting public objections and suggestions to the
notification of the areas described above as a Heritage Precinct.
b. The sites should be kept free from any major constructions and should
be retained as open spaces.
c. The Government may be addressed not to effect any modification to
the land Use plans and retain this area as Recreation Zone.

Item no 10.
Factual Position with regard to the Hillock under Heritage Precinct no 2, notified as
Rock park vide GO Ms no 102 Ma dated 23-3-98

During the inspection mentioned at item no 9 above, the Chairman and members had also
noted that ground making works and some construction works were in progress on the
above Heritage Precinct for which no permission was taken from HUDA and the H.C.C.
It was later learnt from the files of HUDA that the Government in MA & UD Department
have issued orders vide GO Ms no 543 MA dated 23-12-04 modifying the land use of the
above Survey Number from Public and Semi- public to Residential Use. As in May 2006,
the Cine Workers Association have submitted building plans for approval in HUDA and
the matter is under examination. Building permission was not granted till 5-5-06.
In the Heritage Precinct no 2, every building or layout permission requires approval of
Heritage Conservation Committee since the site continues to be a notified Heritage
Precinct.
It was suggested that if this site is presently covered by any Judgment of the Honble
High Court then copies of the same may be circulated to members of the Heritage
Conservation Committee for their information so that further action can be suggested.

In the meeting Sri M. Dasaradha Rami Reddy, Zonal Manager , APIIC attended as a
special invitee. He informed that the APIIC has a proposal to develop IT park in part of
survey no 66 of Raidurg Nav Khalsa which was on the eastward side of the hill.
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It was suggested that the eastward slope of the sy no 246 Manikonda and the sy no 66 of
Raidurg Nav Khalsa should also be notified as Heritage Precincts.

Item no 11.
Proposal received from Director of Public Libraries seeking approval of Heritage
Conservation Committee for repairs to the State Central Library at Afzalgunj.

It was noted that the proposals are for repairs and upgradation to this major Heritage
Building including changing the Jack Arch roofs to RCC roofs. It was suggested that
members will visit the site and examine the proposals on ground. The Committee
suggested that in view of urgency, Sri V.Raghavan member may communicate his views
to Vice Chairman HUDA without waiting for the next meeting with regard to the nature
of repairs that were to be permitted. A report also may be placed in the next meeting of
the committee.

Item no 12.
Request of Director Archaeology to place the information regarding the works going
on in St Josephs Cathedral, Gun Foundry.

The site was inspected by the staff of HUDA. It was noted that the Cathedral authorities
are carrying out major renovation works without any application to and approval of the
Heritage Conservation Committee. A letter was addressed to the Municipal Corporation
of Hyderabad but there was no response.
It was suggested that Vice Chairman HUDA may kindly convene a special meeting with
the Commissioner MCH on this issue.

Item 13.
Request from Commissioner of Industries to grant approval to conservation works
proposed in Industries departments office building at Chirag Ali Lane.

It was suggested that members may inspect the site and that the matter may be discussed
in the next meeting.

Item no 14.
Additional Rock Precincts.

The consolidated proposal of the Society to Save Rocks submitted by its Secretary
through her letter no nil dated 22-5-06 was examined by the Committee.
The proposal contains 20 additional sites.
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It was seen that site no 6, 10 and 11 are located in Secunderabad Cantonment area, which
is outside the jurisdiction of HUDA where presently the HUDA regulations do not apply.
Hence HUDA may address the E.O Cantt Board to notify these sites.

Of the remaining 17 sites, the proposals contained details of sy nos and villages in only
The following sites:
Nos 1 ( Baba Fakhruddin Dargah), 4 ( Skull Rock, Madhapur) 5 ( Gachibouli) , 8
( Gachibouli) , 9 (Gachibouli).
It was suggested that pending the survey of other sites, these sites may be notified..
In addition, HUDA will include also the entire Moulali Pahad at site nos 2 & 3 of
Societys list after finding the sy nos from HUDA base maps.

Item 15.
other items:

It was suggested that on the following a status report may be submitted in the next
meeting.

a. Status of Lakshmi Paper Mart Building.

b. The Status of uploading on HUDA Web site the photographs of Heritage
Buildings.

Sri Sushil Kumar, Member suggested that HUDA should obtain from the MCH the
conservation proposals on the following:
Moazamjahi Market
Nampally Sarai
Charminar Pedestrianisation
Musi River Project.

Next meeting.

The next meeting of the Heritage Conservation Committee will be held on 26th June 2006
at 3 PM in the office of HUDA.

The meeting ended with a vote of thanks to the Chair.

Chairman
Heritage Conservation Committee
24th May 2006