HYDERABAD: Everything is not gloomy when it comes to heritage in Hyderabad. After facing flak for the demolition of Saidabad Palace and the proposal to do the same to Osmania General Hospital, the State government finished the restoration of Moazzam Jahi Market, earning accolades from critics and supporters alike.
What’s more, Municipal Administration and Urban Development Minister KT Rama Rao, who was speaking at the reopening of the nearly-100-year-old market, assured that ‘not just this (Moazzam Jahi Market), but all heritage structures in Hyderabad will be restored by the government.’ “We have so many heritage structures in the city, like Murgi Chowk and Katora Houz. All these will be restored,” Rama Rao said, adding that these structures were a symbol of the ‘Ganga-Jamuna tehzeeb of Telangana.’
The Minister added that the State government would work towards achieving the status of ‘heritage city’ for Hyderabad from UNESCO. “Hyderabad is a city where one will find old-world charm and new-age vibrancy. It should get heritage city status from UNESCO and we will work to achieve it,” he said.The triangular market, built between 1933 and 1935 by the then City Improvement Board, has undergone massive restoration works during the past two years.
Firstly, the roof of the building, which had three layers of tar put by shopkeepers to prevent water seepage, had to be completely scraped off. Post that, cebara layering was done along with water-proofing to arrest leakages.Chajjas, or overhanging eaves for a room (often decorative), had to be carefully restored with lime mortar. The spiral staircases were repaired and given additional reinforcement.
For the stone walls, the MAUD department had to scrape off the dust and colours that had settled on them over the years to bring out the original hue of the stone. The four clocks which adorn the clocktower, which had stopped functioning, were replaced. The huge gold finials on top of the clocktowers were also restored.
A flag post has been erected in the central courtyard. Around the market, footpath was laid down, and the whole area was pedestrianised by placing bollards at entry points. The long-running issue of drainage was also addressed. A storm water drain was designed with run-off to avoid waterlogging. Lastly, the age-old meat market has been redesigned.