Hyderabad: Katora Houz retaining wall yet to be re-built

Golconda: It has been two months since the retaining wall of 450-year-old Katora Houz collapsed during the recent heavy rains. The wall crashed and the surrounding area was totally flooded. It is said that as many as nine vehicles, including bikes and cars, parked near the wall were washed away into the tank. No action is initiated by the authorities, even though it has been posing danger to both to the residents of the area and commuters.

Katora Houz is one of the heritage structures in the historic Golconda Fort. It is the largest tank in the city which comes under Archaeological Survey of India (ASI). Katora Houz is a four-acre, perfectly symmetrical man-made lake constructed in 1560 during the reign of Ibrahim Qutb Shah (1550-80). It was filled with water from the Talab-e-Durg (now Durgam Cheruvu). It is maintained by the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC).

The condition of the tank remains the same as no restoration works have been taken up by the department concerned.

"The fencing wall collapsed during the two-day heavy rain in October. Now it has been more than two months. No department is concerned about the damage. The authorities must at least restore the heritage structure. The wall has to be restored as also the entire Houz which is in worst condition. The cleaning works of the tank must be taken up at the earliest to retain its past glory," said Mohammed Rafi, a social activist.

He said Minister K T Rama Rao, along with the ASI and GHMC officials, had visited the tank several times. He also proposed beautification of the tank and opening it for public after handing over to the Telangana Tourism Development Corporation. But no further works were taken up, forget about beautification of tank. The wall has collapsed. After rains the tank has turned into a cesspool filled with sewerage and water hyacinth. It has become a major ground for breeding of mosquitoes."

"The collapsed retaining wall is posing a threat to commuters. Forget about restoring it; no sign board or a safety precaution have been kept on the entire stretch." Vehicle riders are feeling unsafe. Traffic is getting jammed on the stretch. At least the civic body must arrange some safety signs which will help the commuters and residents," said Mohammed Javed, a resident.

According to reports, an attempt to restore the Katora Houz was taken up by the GHMC in August 2018. The civic body started desilting works in the tank. After that it spent over Rs 60 lakh for removing trash and hyacinth. After it was last cleaned in 2018 no works have been initiated.

When contacted, the Golconda corporator, said the restoration works come under the purview of ASI. The MLA has given a representation to the authorities yet no works have been taken up. As precaution a rope has been tied by the civic body," said Mohd. Fareed, a representative of the corporator.