Errum Manzil: Telangana High Court asks government to submit ‘Hyderabad Master plan 2031’

Source: newindianexpress.com

HYDERABAD: A division bench of the Telangana High Court on Friday directed the State government to submit before it the ‘Hyderabad Master plan 2031’ to know whether Errum Manzil and other such monuments were present in the Special Conservation Zone or not. The bench was passing this direction in relation to a batch of PILs challenging the government’s decision to demolish the Errum Manzil building, a heritage structure in the city, and to construct a new State legislative Assembly and Council complex in its place.

Pursuant to the earlier direction of the court, Engineer-in-Chief (Buildings) of Roads and Buildings department, Ganapathi Reddy, appeared before the bench and said that about 20 acres of land were required for the proposed integrated legislature complex at Errum Manzil. The government has so far not finalized the building plan for the proposed complex and consultations were going on with architectural firms from Mumbai, Bengaluru and Hyderabad to work out plans and a final decision is expected soon, he added.

Replying to a query from the bench regarding facts and figures of the proposed integrated complex, the senior official submitted that apart from constructing the proposed integrated complex, the government was contemplating landscaping and to construct a central hall, office chambers for Assembly Speaker, Council Chairman, Deputy Speaker, Assembly secretary and ministers on the premises.

Continuing his arguments in the case, Additional Advocate General J Ramachandra Rao told the court that the State Cabinet has taken the decision to construct new Assembly and Council buildings at Errum Manzil based on a report of the Roads and Buildings department dated September 4, 2017.

The bench asked the AAG to place all relevant material, including ‘Master Plan 2031’, Cabinet agenda and so on, before it by the next hearing.

On the other hand, Advocate Nalin Kumar, appearing for one of the petitioners, told the court that no alterations or development would be allowed in Errum Manzil, a heritage monument, without prior permission from HMDA. The bench posted the matter to Tuesday.