Hyderabad’s historic Bachelors’ Quarters gets fresh lease of life

The restoration took about Rs.1 crore, with Arvind Kumar lauding the people’s involvement.

Hyderabad: A heritage structure that was almost demolished in the erstwhile Andhra Pradesh has got a fresh lease of life, thanks to the revival and renovation projects being taken up by the current administration.

The building, which is celebrating not just a fresh coat of paint but an extended lifespan itself, is the Bachelors’ Quarters near the Moazzam Jahi Market, constructed by Mir Osman Ali Khan, the Seventh Nizam, in the early 1940s.

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According to Municipal Administration and Urban Development Principal Secretary Arvind Kumar, the 39 tenants of the heritage structure, which was one of the tallest buildings of that time with Ulemas climbing it to sight the new moon, had come forward to restore it. The restoration took about Rs.1 crore, with Arvind Kumar lauding the people’s involvement.

“Bachelor quarters (as it’s known), built by 7th Nizam in 1940s, restored by 39 tenants costing about a crore. Ulemas used to sight moon from top of this building.. This is what people’s involvement can do..” (sic) he tweeted, also tagging MA & UD Minister KT Rama Rao in the tweet.

Bachelor quarters (as it’s known), built by 7th Nizam in 1940s, restored by 39 tenants costing about a crore.

Ulemas used to sight moon from top of this building..

This is what people’s involvement can do 👏🏻@KTRTRS

Thanks @kbiqbal777 for highlighting pic.twitter.com/DmAZXOpvYF

— Arvind Kumar (@arvindkumar_ias) April 9, 2021

The building, according to reports, was constructed for youngsters from financially backward families and those from villages outside Hyderabad who came to the city pursuing education in the Osmania University or the City College. The Andhra Pradesh Housing Board had reportedly converted into a commercial property and around 2007-2008, had plans to demolish the structure citing its dilapidated condition.

The structure, said to be the first Reinforced Cement Concrete structure in the city, also saw legal tangles, with the Housing Board and the Wakf Board also claiming ownership for the building, which has witnessed connoisseurs of Urdu language and poetry gathering on its premises for meetings and cultural events in its heydays.

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