Hyderabad: Chipped off part wasn’t old

Hyderabad: The GHMC after a preliminary analysis has questioned the quality of the lime mortar and adhesive being used by the Archae-ological Survey of India for the restoration of Charminar.

This follows ASI blaming the GHMC for using heavy equipment near Charminar whose vibrations  can affect the monument.

A portion of the plaster from the southwest mina-ret had fallen on May 2, causing much anxiety about the condition of the structure.

GHMC additional commi-ssioner Musharraf Faru-qui said that the quality of lime mortar needed to be checked as what broke off and fell last week were “fresh pieces of lime mortar and not parts of the old structure.”

He said the restoration works was done six mon-ths ago. “The lime mortar which has fallen off is soft in nature which shows that the adhesives used in the process are not of good quality,” Mr Faruqui said.

The GHMC said it had last brought heavy machi-nery near Charminar 2018 but there was no damage then. Further. the Charmi-nar Pedestrianisation Proj-ect will stop movement of vehicles 200 metres from the monument.

The initial assessment of the GHMC showed that the lime mortar was shaken loose by vibrations. It said what caused these vibrations needed to be understood.

A senior GHMC officer on condition of anonymity said, “The ASI is not doing work at the pace which is required. The GHMC completed the Moazzamjahi market work in a record eight months but at Charminar in the last two years only two pillars have been done. The time period was three years, will it be completed by then?”