Hyderabad: The Telangana government is in a spot over the demolition of the old Osmania General Hospital building to pave the way for two new towers in its place.
Sources said, Chief Minister, K Chandrasekhar Rao, is monitoring the situation and may keep demolition of the heritage building on hold till a solution is found following strong protests from the entire Opposition including friendly MIM and heritage activists.
OGH is located on 26.80 acres near Afzalgunj and the old heritage building is housed only on 2.37 acres. After the chest hospital controversy where doctors, heritage activists and political parties opposed the government plan to demolish the heritage structure and construct a new Secretariat, the Osmania General Hospital is facing much bigger protests from all sections. Interestingly, everyone wants immediate revamping of OGH, but oppose demolition of the heritage structure. The hospital dates back to 1846 and after 1908 floods, Nizam VII reconstructed it in the 1920s.
“Some parties are deliberately politicising the issue. We are not vacating the entire hospital. Only patients housed in the old dilapidated building are being shifted. We are looking at the interests and safety of patients. We are open to solutions,” Dr Laxma Reddy, health minister said. Telangana Joint Action Committee chairman Prof. Kodandaram, who visited the hospital along with a group of activists, asserted that the hospital has to be revamped and facilities provided for patients.
“The issue has bogged down to demolition or no demolition. This will again push back much needed development of the hospital. The condition of the hospital is terrible and needs immediate attention. No doubt there is emotional attachment to the old building, but we have to ponder on alternate options. We will make a thorough study and write a letter to the CM,” Prof. Kodandram told Deccan Chronicle.
Hyderabad High Court to hear pil on OGH shifting
A division bench comprising acting Chief Justice Dilip B. Bhosale and Justice S.V. Bhatt of the Hyderabad High Court will hear an PIL seeking to declare the action of the Telangana government in proposing to shift patients from the Osmania General Hospital and demolish the building as arbitrary, illegal and without any authority of law.
Senior counsel Sarasani Satyam Reddy, appearing for the petitioner, city advocate B.M. Swami Dass, urged the bench to hear the case on priority as it involved the safety of patients and the government has taken a sudden decision without consulting architects, engineers, heritage conservationists and others. He said the Osmania General Hospital was a heritage building and the government had no power to demolish it without de-notifying it from the list of heritage structures. The bench said it would hear the case on Tuesday.
