Governor Urges PSUs to Support Salar Jung Museum Modernisation and Expansion

Hyderabad: Telangana Governor Shiv Pratap Shukla has called upon central and state public sector undertakings (PSUs) to extend support for the modernisation and expansion of the Salar Jung Museum as it prepares to celebrate its platinum jubilee year.

Chairing a meeting with representatives of various PSUs at Lok Bhavan on Thursday, the Governor, who is also the chairman of the Museum, discussed plans for the week-long platinum jubilee celebrations scheduled to be held from June 14 to 21. The meeting was attended by special chief secretary to the Governor M. Dana Kishore and joint secretary Shashikirana Chary.

Shukla said the celebrations, being organised to mark the birth anniversary of Nawab Mir Yousuf Ali Khan, Salar Jung III, would feature special exhibitions, cultural programmes, educational initiatives, publications, outreach activities and public engagement events.

He said the Museum was also preparing a comprehensive development plan to transform it into a modern institution of international standards over the next five years. He expressed confidence that the central government would extend support for the initiative and appealed to PSUs to contribute through their CSR programmes.

Kishore said the state government was undertaking measures for the development and beautification of the Musi riverfront. He noted that plans were being prepared to develop the precincts comprising the Telangana High Court, Salar Jung Museum and Osmania General Hospital as a heritage corridor.

Responding to the Governor’s appeal, representatives of the PSUs assured that they would explore ways to partner in the Museum’s modernisation and expansion programmes.

During the meeting, the Museum officials made a presentation on its future development roadmap. They proposed works costing ₹25 - 35 crore over the next five years for upgrading galleries, storage facilities and conservation infrastructure. The proposed initiatives include gallery enhancement, expansion of educational programmes, modernisation of conservation laboratories, improvement of visitor services and augmentation of public amenities.

The museum authorities also proposed the establishment of a dedicated Telangana heritage wing at an estimated cost of ₹85 crore to showcase the State’s rich historical and cultural legacy.

Among those who attended the meeting were Bharat Dynamics Limited executive directorVinod Kumar, NMDC general manager P. Jayaprakash, Hudco regional chief P. Subhash Reddy, NTPC AGM, Akhil, Power Grid Corporation CGM Domman Yadav, Hindustan Aeronautics Limited executive director, Ram Mohan Rao, GAIL zonal CGM Dev Kant, Indian Oil Corporation CGM (Operations Suraj Patnaik, Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited representative Tonesh Chaturvedi, and Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Limited CGM Sushil Kumar Roy among others.