Hyderabad: Doctors at Osmania General Hospital are disputing the origin of graves, which were discovered during the beautification of over a century-old tamarind tree in the hospital premises.
“Two years ago, GHMC had decided to beautify the area around the tamarind tree. The work had finally started in February 2017, but it was stopped in the middle. Now I received a complaint from my hospital doctors that they can see graves adjacent to the tree, which they did not see earlier. We have complained to the GHMC about the same as they are the ones who are carrying out the beautification work,” said Dr G.V. Murthy, superintendent of Osmania General Hospital.
GHMC had decided to beautify area around the tamarind tree as it was believed to have saved more than 150 lives during the Musi flood of 1908. The beautification work, however, got mirred in controversy after the discovery of graves, with doctors doubting their antiquity.
The doctors working in the hospital have been circulating a message on their Whatsapp groups, doubting the discovery of graves, which they claim were not visible earlier.
“While the designing of the garden around the tree, GHMC officials have also repaired the graves. So we just want to know how come graves were not visible earlier,” said a senior doctor, explaining their stand.
Officials in the hospital administration claim that their work is to monitor patients, relatives and cannot be held responsible or look into the matters relating to the tamarind tree. The officials have asked the GHMC to check and verify if graves existed around the tree earlier.
While conducting beautification work at the tree, GHMC officials had run into trouble in February when the caretaker Mohammed Pasha of the Hazrat Sadath Baba Dargah had objected to granite flooring in the garden. As the graves are adjacent to the tree, he had claimed it will be an insult to the dead if people walk in and out.
GHMC south zone commissioner S. Srinivas Reddy, however, said he has not received the complaint of the Osmania General Hospital superintendent yet. But he said that the graves will not be touched and the area was developed was to protect the tree.
“As awareness programmes and heritage walks were conducted near the tree, we conducted development work near the tree,” he said.
