HYDERABAD: A public interest litigation petition (PIL) was filed in the Telangana High Court on Monday seeking direction to the State government not to demolish the Errum Manzil building, a heritage structure in the city, for construction of a new State Legislative Assembly and Council buildings in its place. The petitioner cited the news reports published in The New Indian Express on June 20 and 23 this year while filing the PIL.
Petitioner J Shankar, a student pursuing Ph.D from Osmania University and social activist, submitted that Errum Manzil building which was constructed in the year 1870 was a heritage structure and it cannot be demolished without permission from Heritage Conservation Committee. However, the government decided to demolish it in order to construct new buildings for Legislative Assembly and Council. The government has also decided to perform “Bhumi Puja” for the new buildings on June 27 and the demolition works would start immediately, he added. The petitioner sought the court to declare the above action of the State government as illegal.