HYDERABAD: Four overlooked heritage sites in the city have been shortlisted for being cleaned and to be made aesthetically pleasing as a first measure as part of the Municipal Administration and Urban Development (MAUD)’s efforts to form an ‘informal’ heritage advisory committee.
The monuments, Hillfort Palace, Mishq Mahal at Attapur, Mahbub Mansion and Shaikpet Sarai, will be cleaned, fenced, replenished with greenery and lit up, as required, by the GHMC, the Hyderabad Heritage Trust group said in a post on Facebook.
Principal Secretary of MAUD Arvind Kumar was not reachable despite several calls and text messages.
Hillfort Palace was built in 1915 by Sir Nizamat Jung who served as the Chief Justice in the Nizam’s government.
He stayed in the palace for 15 years.
It also housed Prince Moazzam Jah, the son of the seventh Nizam. Subsequently, after the accession of Hyderabad State to the Indian Union, it was transformed into a luxury hotel.
However, now the property lies neglected.
Similar are the conditions of the other three, especially the Mahbub Mansion which was the epitome of grandeur during the time of the Nizams.
The mansion once had two hundred acre of residential land, and a stable of quality that gave international ones a run for its money. Today, calling it an haunted mansion would be an understatement.