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HERITAGE: CHARMINAR
Monument To Neglect
Protective measures may yet save the edifice whose
existence is threatened by vehicular movement
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AT THE CROSSROADS: Heavy traffic and pollution have taken
their toll
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For 400 years, it
has stood as the symbol of Hyderabad. Built by the Qutubshahi dynasty,
the Charminar is an elegant symbiosis of Hindu and Muslim traditions.
Some people may complain that the Charminar's association with a cigarette
brand has trivialised its significance. They would do well to consider
what the grand monument has become today: a glorified traffic island and
a showcase of collective apathy and urban decay.
The chunks of stucco falling from a minaret
following the rains last month were a grim reminder of the growing threat
to the structure, whose existence is severely compromised by heavy traffic,
haphazard parking, the clutter of street vendors and encroachments. But
besides barring visitors from climbing up the steep spiral stairway for
the breathtaking view from the top, all that the Archaeological Survey
of India (ASI) has done is to carry out patchwork repairs. "We are
spending more on damage control than on protecting the monument,"
admits Dr S.V.P. Halakatti, superintending archaeologist, ASI. The latest
scar is on the southwest minaret. It is a gaping eyesore that has made
Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu sit up and take notice. To protect
the Charminar from traffic-related vibration and emissions-the cause of
the loosening and falling of plaster-Naidu wants a vehicle-free zone around
the edifice. He has put Syed Omar Jaleel, former regional director in
the Hyderabad municipal administration, in charge of the pedestrianisation
project.
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ERODING GLORY: Falling plaster on the southwest minaret
has left an ugly scar
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The damage has come when the state is being promoted
aggressively as a tourist destination. The first warnings came as early
as 1984 when the Birla Archaeological and Cultural Research Institute,
Hyderabad, carried out an exhaustive study. More recently the National
Geophysical Research Institute, Hyderabad, found that while vibration
levels have not crossed the permissible limits, the flow of 500 automobiles
an hour past the base of the monument causes irreparable damage. They
recommend banning heavy vehicles in the vicinity and continuous monitoring
of vehicular vibrations. The authorities have been asked to create alternative
traffic routes within 18 months. As a first step, the ASI has pushed back
the protective iron railing around the Charminar by five metres.
A Rs 100-crore road-widening project is on the
anvil. The Government plans to put up road signs and street lighting and
shift the nearby mandi and bus station to reduce congestion. Telephone
and electric lines will now be laid below the ground. A special cell has
been created to oversee this work, to be completed within the next two
years. "The only way to make the area more appealing to tourists
is to provide a high quality open space bordered by historic buildings
and open bazaars," says G. Kishan Rao, director, Department of Tourism,
Andhra Pradesh.
There are also plans to restore the heritage
buildings in the vicinity. As part of the effort, the Charminar Heritage
Walks were flagged off in September 2000. These take visitors on a 3.2-km
tour of monuments in the vicinity. Meanwhile, thanks to a new promotion
effort, visitors can have their pictures taken at the Charminar and e-mail
it all over the globe from September 27, World Tourism Day. So whether
the Charminar continues to make for a pretty picture should be in everyone's
interest.
—Amarnath K. Menon
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