Hyderabad: Restoration of Sardar Mahal near Charminar comes to grinding halt

The State government had planned to revive the Sardar Mahal and add an art studio, a cultural centre along with a small café to make it a tourist hub

Hyderabad: The much-awaited project aimed at reviving and restoring the iconic Sardar Mahal near Charminar has come to a grinding halt in the last few months. Thanks to alleged apathy of authorities in clearing the pending bills of the contractors.

The State government had planned to revive the Sardar Mahal and add an art studio, a cultural centre along with a small café to make it a tourist hub. The Quli Qutb Shah Urban Development Authority (QQSUDA) is overseeing the works while a private agency was entrusted with the task of restoration.

An official stated that the Sardar Mahal will have an art gallery, cafe and heritage accommodation on lines of Neemrana Fort Palace in Rajasthan and the project was taken up at a cost of Rs. 30 crores. Once completed it would be one of the major attractions in the old city.

However, a visit to Sardar Mahal revealed that there were no workers present and no work in progress. According to information available, the work has stopped for more than two months and officials too stopped visiting the place.

Last year, the authorities had claimed that about 70 per cent of the works were completed and had also set a deadline of three months for completion of the remaining work. However, the situation on the ground is different now.

An official of QQSUDA said the contractors have stopped the work due to non-payment of bills. “We are in touch with the local public representatives and soon the issue will be sorted out,” said the official.

According to historians, Sardar Mahal was built in European style by Nizam VI Mir Mahboob Ali Khan in 1900. Though Mahboob Ali Khan, the then ruler of Hyderabad State, built the palace for one of his beloved consorts, Sardar Begum, she refused to inhabit this token of love as it did not live up to her expectations. No one stayed there but the building took her name.

It was declared a heritage building by the Heritage Conservation Committee and the Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage (INTACH). Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) took over Sardar Mahal in 1965 due to outstanding property taxes.