HYDERABAD: With the TRS government securing a second term, heritage aficionados had expected the much-needed pending works on the hundreds of dilapidated structures to resume. However, months have passed, and nothing has changed. One of the reasons that contributed to the situation is inter-departmental disharmony.
There is a turf war going on between the Municipal Administration and Urban Development (MAUD) Department and the Department of Youth Advancement, Tourism and Culture (YATC), over the conservation of heritage structures. The conflict reportedly arises over the jurisdiction of each department.
“While the subject is technically under tourism and culture, the main push and work is to be done by the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) and urban bodies,” said a source in the government.
In the last one year, the MAUD department, through the GHMC, has taken up the conservation of Moazzam Jahi Market and the clock tower at Mahbub Chowk. Now emboldened with its success, the department wants to do more in the heritage scenario. In contrast, the performance of the tourism and culture department in the heritage conservation area leaves much to be desired.For instance, the Telangana Heritage Law, which was introduced by the Culture Department, and passed in 2017, has still not been implemented effectively.
After Express reported the same, a high-level meeting was convened by MAUD with the Department of Culture officials, seeking its implementation. This had reportedly irked YATC officials.Sources said a complaint was made to the Chief Secretary by a senior culture department official, urging the MAUD not to intervene in its territory. After that, MAUD is concentrating on forming a heritage trust, which would supersede departmental quabbles. The MAUD has been holding meetings with stakeholders in the heritage ecosystem to make the proposed trust a reality. However, a source who attended one of these meetings remarked that the absence of Culture department officials in these meetings would just exacerbate the turf war in the future.
MAUD to form heritage trust?
MA&UD is reportedly concentrating on forming a heritage trust, which would supersede departmental quabbles. It has been holding meetings with stakeholders in the heritage ecosystem to make the propoal a reality