Marking of buffer zone at Charminar begins

Charminar: As part of the ambitious Charminar Pedestrianisation Project (CPP), the GHMC has finally taken up demarcation work at the historic monument to set up a restricted zone (buffer zone) in a radius of 50 feet.

As when the buffer zone gets demarcated, commercial activities within 50-ft radius of the historic monument would be prohibited in order to protect the 400-year-old Charminar, the marvellous cynosure of the glorious past of Qutub Shahi dynasty that ruled Hyderabad Deccan for 171 years until the Mughal emperor Aurangzeb conquered the Golconda in 1687.

With just one week to go for the New Year celebrations, the officials of GHMC Town Planning as well as Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) took up the work of demarcation on the roads around Charminar to define the inner and outer boundaries around the historic structure. Zonal City Planner B Venkanna personally supervised the work on Monday along with other senior officials.

The project is being implemented by the GHMC in coordination with the Archaeological Survey of India. "As part of the plan to protect the historic monument from any recurring danger, it has been proposed long ago to impose restrictions on vehicular movement in 50ft radius of the monument and allow the visitors in the area only on foot," informed Assistant Town Planner Abdul Qader.

Expressing a bit dissatisfaction over the delay in executing the works even after grounding demarcation thrice in the past, he said, "Though we have done the demarcation earlier too, but this time we are soon going to erect non-hydraulic bollards finally after completing the demarcation and this would make the areas completely prohibited for any sort of automobile entering into the restricted zone. To this, we got a clear call from the higher ups and are determined to complete the task."

"Diagonally the length would be measured from the point where the steel mesh encircling the monument is exists and would encompass the area almost 120 meter around the monument.

Soon after, the process of grounding non hydraulic bollards will be resumed to restrict any vehicular or commercial activity under the prohibited zone," the official said.