HYDERABAD: With the Sardar Mahal, which had once been one of the most prominent tourist spots in the city, crying for attention for a long time, the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) has decided to develop it into a cultural centre on a Public-Private Partnership (PPP) model.
Built in 1900 by the sixth Nizam of Hyderabad, Mir Mahboob Ali Khan, for one of his consorts Sardar Begum as a token of his love, the Sardar Mahal was never lived in as the palace didn’t live up to her expectations, but it took on her name.
The GHMC took over the property in 1965 due to outstanding property taxes. It was declared a heritage building by the Heritage Conservation Committee and INTACH. The GHMC has now planned to convert it into a cultural centre in order to maximise the historical, cultural, social and tourist potential in the Charminar area.
Municipal Administration and Urban Development (MAUD) Minister KT Rama Rao had already laid the foundation stone for the project at the Sardar Mahal in May. Officials say that a total of Rs 30 crore would be spent on the restoration works.
The civic body has proposed to take up the project on a Build, Operate and Transfer (BOT) concept for which it has invited tenders for the selection of an agency. The detailed project plan would consist of broad context studies such as tourism, arts and culture including the Charminar Pedestrianisation Project (CPP), positioning of the heritage property in the overall tourism potential of Charminar and its vicinity, formulation of a detailed master plan for its development as a cultural centre and identification of various activities based on the master plan and allocation of space for each activity.
The selected agency would have to map tourism assessment in the vicinity of the site and prepare a demand-assessment study and propose a comprehensive activity plan for the development of Sardar Mahal. The agency has to further prepare a valuation report, a feasibility study report, including project structuring, and a financial model for the project.
The agency would also need to assess the structural condition of the building and identify the measures required for the conservation and strengthening of the structure. As the Sardar Mahal is a listed Heritage Building, efforts should be made to conserve the building without disturbing its façade of the building, experts say. The conservation plan would also need to get approved by the Heritage Conservation Committee. After approval of the plan, the agency will have to undertake the conservation works.
Proximity to Charminar
Situated less than a kilometre away from Charminar, the authorities are working out whether it can be part of the same tourism circuit and the changes needed for the same
Tenders for the selection of an agency to carry out the restoration works have already been floated
MAUD Minister KT Rama Rao laid the foundation stone for restoration works in May