HYDERABAD: It has come to the fore that a 104-year-old building in the YMCA Narayanguda complex, deemed as a heritage structure, has been demolished despite the Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage declaring it as “structurally fit”. The building, which functioned as the YMCA hostel and guest house, was razed last year. However, the demolition came to the fore after INTACH official Anuradha Reddy visited the site recently. “There is nothing there now,” Reddy said.
The structure was built in 1915 for a Hyderabadi Nawab and was subsequently taken over by the YMCA after the accession of Hyderabad State to the Indian Union. The two-storeyed building had stone masonry supporting load-bearing walls made up of red burnt bricks and lime mortar. Speaking to Express, general secretary of YMCA, Hyderabad, Priestly Gaius, said: “The building was torn down last year after a portion of it fell during monsoon. We had received a notice for the demolition from the GHMC.”
Gaius also claimed that they had been receiving notifications from the GHMC regarding the demolition since 2006 and that the numerous repairs on the building were proving futile. He added, “There is going to be a swanky 14-floor building here. An indoor stadium for children will also be constructed.”
However, his claims were refuted by Anuradha Reddy, who said that the portion of the building had not fallen and the building was demolished for the metro line. She also said that it was structurally fit and that it could have easily been repaired.
‘Building could’ve regained past glory’
An inspection of the 104-year-old YMCA Narayanguda building by INTACH revealed that the building was structurally sound and that with “minor and medium rehabilitation”, it could have regained its lost glory. In its report, INTACH wrote: “It is found that the foundation and other substructure-level elements are sound and requires minor attention, whereas the superstructure, consisting of a wall, beams, pillars, roof and so on, require special attention.” The report underlined that the heritage building was in poor condition due to negligence. It also highlighted the heritage value of the building