Iconic Paigah Palace restoration works at Begumpet gain pace, HMDA accelerates works

Civil and restoration works at Hyderabad’s Paigah Palace are underway as HMDA prepares to shift offices to Begumpet. Two new conference halls and additional floors are being added while preserving the heritage building, with completion expected by April–May.

Hyderabad: Civil works and restoration works at an iconic Paigah Palace at Begumpet are at a brisk pace as the State government’s deadline to shift Hyderabad Metropolitan Development Authority (HMDA) and its key wings from the existing premises to the old premises, Begumpet, approaches.

After tenders were finalised a couple of months ago, construction of an additional fourth floor and a pre-fabricated structure on the fifth floor on both Annex-I and Annex-II of Paigah Palace (rear side) is in full swing to accommodate various wings and to hold conferences.

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HMDA sources told ‘Telangana Today’ that the erstwhile Huda, which moved in 2007 from Paigah Palace premises to Green Land Guesthouse and Tarnaka, does not have conference halls. The need for conference halls has arisen due to the shifting of the HMDA office from Ameerpet (Swarnajayanthi Complex), the office of the Director Urban Forestry and Project Director, Outer Ring Road, which are working on the premises of Hyderabad Growth Corridor Limited (HGCL), Nanakramguda, and Buddha Purnima Project Authority (BPPA) from Lumbini Park near Tankbund road.

Two conference halls are planned, with a capacity of 100 seats each, at the Annexure I and II buildings. HMDA sources said these two conference halls are meant for PowerPoint presentations, meetings with delegates coming from various parts of the country and even abroad, and other official purposes.

As the Paigah Palace (main building) has heritage recognition, HMDA will carry out restoration works inside the palace without drilling or damaging the structure, according to a senior HMDA engineering wing official.

HMDA sources said that if the restoration works and civil works are completed by April or, at the latest, May, all HMDA offices will start working from Begumpet.

Intricate Paigah Palace Architectural Grandeur

• Sir Vicar-ul-Umra, a distinguished Paigah nobleman, constructed the Paigah Palace Heritage

• Features spacious rooms and intricate architectural details, including high ceilings measuring 22 ft on the ground floor and 26 ft on the first floor

• Has four huge halls and over 20 spacious rooms

• Central portion is fitted with rectangular vents, resembles a chimney and is designed to provide sunlight and fresh air

• Pediments atop the doors display intricate work and floral patterns

• A four-storey modern annex was built in 1999, with two floors each matching the ground and first floors of the old structure