Heritage house razed amid official apathy

Pre-partition structure pulled down disregarding antiquities dept's stop notice

HYDERABAD:

A pre-partition structure of a residential house is being quickly razed to clear land for construction of a new structure. The situation is unfolding in the thickly inhabited Nahiyan Jo Pirh locality in downtown City taluka of Hyderabad without authorities standing aloof to the occurrence.

The Antiquities and Archaeology Department, however, has fulfilled its responsibility by fixing a notice on the building to stop the demolition, referring to it as a heritage structure. That notice, affixed on July 4, failed to stop the ongoing knocking down activity which has already flattened a large part of the structure.

The once magnificently standing double-storey house spread to around 500 square yards. It carried a sense of legacy which is preserved and even celebrated in the civilised world. Its symmetry and proportions reflected a sense of balance that was common in historical architectures.

Razed veranda of the house was once surrounded by arched columns leading to the hallways and rooms. The cobalt blue tiles atop the exterior walls still bewitch the people who can now easily see what's inside the building because its elevation has been teared down a great deal. The moulding work with spiral shaped round yet lean pillars atop composite ornaments on either sides of the entrance gate added to the splendour of the building.

The house is located in a densely populated area accessible through narrow streets where driving a car during the day time is drivers' nightmare. Ideally, the government should have banned construction of multi-storeyed structures in such urban rabbit warrens. However, apathy is writ large.

Meanwhile, the department's notice which actually happens to be a letter addressed to Regional Director SBCA states, "this structure is of high architectural value and bears significant historical and cultural importance". The letter cited the Sindh Cultural Heritage Property Rules, 2017, to halt the demolition.

"It is, therefore, requested that demolition currently underway on the subject plot may kindly be halted immediately," reads the letter. The official also asked the SBCA to suspend if any permission was granted to raze the building until the department's technical committee further reviewed the case.

The house, according to the letter, is located on the City Survey Number 2056 in Nahiyan Jo Pirh area on Khae road. The letter has been copied to Commissioner Hyderabad division, Assistant Commissioner City taluka and the house's owner. The focal person of Hyderabad Heritage Buildings was directed to fix the letter on a conspicuous place over the property.