HYDERABAD: A decision on shifting the Osmania General Hospital will be taken after examining the experts’ committee report and eliciting the views of all stakeholders, including MLAs from Hyderabad, health minister C Laxma Reddy has said.
Reddy informed the Legislative Assembly during Question Hour on Tuesday that the government was shifting in-patients from the hospital to other hospitals as the heritage building had become structurally weak and unsafe for them. Certain blocks can be utilised only for running administration and providing services to out-patients.
He said the Jawaharlal Nehru Technological University-Hyderabad (JNTUH) and the Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage (Intach) experts had submitted a report on the structural stability and longevity of the heritage building.
As per the report, the ground plus two floor building was constructed more than 95 years ago. The roof surface is severely cracked leading to penetration of water into the slab. Due to the low-tensile strength of the wood, such yielding in the wood may lead to sudden collapse without warning.
Stating that demolition of the structure would be the last resort, he said efforts would be made to restore the heritage building. However, a final decision on demolition would be taken after holding a meeting with MLAs from Greater Hyderabad.
The minister said a new building with all modern facilities would be constructed in place of the existing one after heritage clearance committee gave the go-ahead.
Of the Rs 100 crore earmarked for OGH, Rs 70 crore would be used for buying medical equipment and Rs 30 crore for taking up civil works for which tenders are being floated.
Ahmed Pasha Quadri (MIM) said OGH was one of the oldest buildings and important landmarks in the city and should not be demolished. “Former chief ministers, ministers and other important personalities used to rush to OGH for medical treatment in the past. The building can survive for two more centuries if proper restoration work is undertaken by the government. The previous governments have neglected the iconic structure which has led to its present precarious state of condition,” Quadri said.