HYDERABAD: In what can be seen as yet another violation of a heritage-protected monument, part of the historic Errum Manzil palace has been whitewashed to make the front panel of the structure attractive to shoot a film sequence on Wednesday and Thursday.
However, sources in the MAUD department, which is the custodian of the heritage structure, claim that it’s just a temporary lime wash that can be removed using water. The change to the heritage structure came to light after a local tipped off Express photojournalist about heavy vehicles reaching the site.
Suspecting a demolition attempt, an Express photojournalist reached the spot but was asked to erase the pictures from his camera by the security personnel of the production house, who informed him that the palace was under their possession for two days.
Though the whitewash could be temporary, heritage activists say that even in the past, during one such shooting, there were temporary doors fixed in the rooms and cardboards pasted on the walls, which violated the very purpose of conservation.
“If HUDA and GHMC make money out of the palace by renting it out, it is fine. But they will have to put in place stringent measures that will prevent any damage to the structure, which has the protection of the High Court,” said Dr P Anuradha Reddy, Chairperson, Hyderabad Chapter of Indian National Trust for Art, Culture and Heritage (INTACH).
It may be recalled that the High Court bench comprising Chief Justice Raghavendra Singh Chauhan and Justice Shameem Akhter had passed an order against the State government’s attempt to demolish the heritage monument by repealing Regulation 13 of the Zonal Regulations of HUDA ‘arbitrarily’ and ‘illegally’ three years ago, to pave way for construction of a new Assembly complex in its place.
Errum Manzil, or ‘Mansion in Paradise’ in Persian, was built by Nawab Fakr-ul-Mulk, a minister in the court of Mir Mahbub Ali Khan, the Nizam VI. The Nawab used to host royal banquets at the palace that has over 150 rooms.