Hyderabad: One person was injured when a small portion of Nampally Sarai, a 120 year-old heritage structure, collapsed due to incessant rain on Saturday. The injured person was shifted to hospital.
The building had been handed over to Hyderabad Metro Rail.
At about 4.30 pm, the balcony of the western portion of the Sarai caved in with a loud noise. Passersby rushed to the site and began searching for anyone caught in the collapse. They were joined by a GHMC team led by central zone commissioner, Musharraf Ali Faruqui, personnel of the GHMC Disaster Response Team, fire services and police. They found one person, whom they extricated and rushed to hospital. The GHMC runs its five rupee meal counter from the building. A water dispenser is also installed there.
Mr Faruqui said the building was sealed and a structure stability study will be carried out from Monday. “If we find the building is weak, we will immediately demolish the structure, If it is found stable, we will carry out repairs,” he said
“We have demolished around 600 structures and buildings in Nampally, Goshamahal and Abids, under the central zone, which were dilapidated,” he said.
Taxi drivers informed Mr Faruqui that they were allowed to park their vehicles at the Sarai premises after their parking lot was handed over to Hyderabad Metro Rail. They sought an alternative site.
The Nampally Sarai was constructed near the Hyderabad Deccan railway station in 1919 during the era of last Nizam Mir Osman Ali Khan. It was built by Nawab Tipu Khan Bahadur, the gorse trainer to Mir Mahboob Ali Khan, the sixth Nizam.
The Sarai was a memorial for the First World War Treaty and was also called ‘Sulah’ (reconciliation) Sarai. Spread over 5,828 square yards, the building was built at a cost of `1 lakh and has 54 rooms.
