Hyderabad: The imposing Government City College on the banks of Musi reached another milestone with the building completing 100 years of construction.
The historic structure of the college has been the learning portal for students of high school, intermediate and undergraduates. The present three-storied edifice, which has been identified as a Grade-II heritage structure, was constructed on 16 acres of land by Chief Engineer Nawab Khan Bahadur Mirza Akbar Baig based on the Indo-Saracenic architectural style.
The structure, which stands next to the Musi River is made of lime, mortar and stone. With its proximity to the Musi, the building’s ground floor has been constructed with stone to ensure that it does not get affected in case of floods. The building has 64 rooms including a gallery, seminar rooms and a big library. The institution still has century-old furniture, including some benches in mint condition. However, the main structure is crying for attention as it requires urgent repairs and restoration works. At several places, the iron beams are visible while there is also leakage of water from the rooftop and pipelines.
The educational institution dates back to 1865 when the then ruler, Nizam Mahbub Ali Khan Asaf Jah VI of Hyderabad established the first City School and named it Madarsa Dar-ul-Uloom. Nizam VII Osman Ali Khan converted the Madarsa into the City High School and moved it into the present building in 1921. In the same year, the intermediate sections of Osmania University with 30 students were introduced with Urdu as the medium of instruction. Later, after the up-gradation of the school into a college in 1929, the institution was rechristened as the City College and became a constituent college of the OU. Following the abolition of the intermediate course in OU in 1956, a pre-university course was introduced.
The college got its first science courses i.e., Bachelor of Sciences in 1962 and it was renamed as the City Science College. The then State government took over the institution from OU in 1965 and renamed it as Government City Science College. With the commencement of BA and BCom courses in 1967, the college became the present Government City College.
Presently, the 100-year-old structure houses both the Government City Junior College and the Government City College offering degree and PG courses. The junior college has over 1,100 students in various streams, while the famous degree college has over 4,700 students in 55 undergraduate combinations and five post graduate courses. Students from other States also opt for courses in the Government City College through the Degree Online Services, Telangana (DOST) web counseling.
The College got autonomous status in 2004, which was later extended in 2011. Apart from being a learning portal, the campus was also one of the centre points in the Telangana Statehood movement.
Whats on the cards?
Government City College principal Bala Bhaskar talks about the repair works on the heritage structure, plans for a new building and centenary celebrations.
What is being done for building conservation?
We have taken up repairs and renovation to stop seepage of water from the rooftop and also to cover beams that are protruding.
Are there plans for a new building?
There are over 4,700 students in degree and PG courses alone. As the present structure is old, we have decided to construct a new state-of-the-art building in the same premises. The new building with three floors will have 20 rooms with e-class rooms, projectors and ICTs.
What about the centenary celebrations?
We are making elaborate plans for the centenary celebrations. We will hold an alumni meet and are trying to reach out to all alumni of the college. Apart from the alumni meet, we are planning a documentary film on the history of the institution. Various cultural festivals too are being planned.