Who cares for hyderabad’s past? Records of erstwhile MCH wallow in utter neglect

Hyderabad: The Erstwhile MCH (Municipal Corporation of Hyderabad) records under the custody of QQSUDA (Quli Qutub Shah Urban Development Authority) office at Darulshifa wallow in utter neglect, literally gathering heaps of dust and caught in spider’s web.

Just a few meters away from the famous City landmark, the Salarjung Museum, several thousands of records relevant to Hyderabad city, face apathy. Stocked up in a massive dilapidated structure ‘General Elections Strong Room MCH Hyderabad’ etched on the top of the roof, these piles of files remain locked under ‘Record Section’ whose locks are rarely opened by officials.

If one peeks through the windows, these rooms appear to be haunted and appear to be the perfect location for a movie like Indiana Jones, as the files not only gather dust but the rooms housing records have also gathered spider webs all across as if lying for centuries. When The Hans India reporter visited the location, it appeared that the building structure which is no more in use was slowly decaying putting to risk the important information related to the City, recorded before Hyderabad’s Municipal office was shifted at Tank Bund from Darulshifa.

Those who are fighting for protecting the history and culture of the City have raised concerns about the future of these records, which are lying in dire apathy. They wondered if the new State government under Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy which has focused on developing Musi Riverfront among other projects would focus on this! “Looking at the condition of the old municipal office including QQSUDA office & Records Room, it feels as if there is a conspiracy to destroy the Old City and its records. Request to the Chief Minister to issue necessary orders to protect old records / documents belonging to the City,” said MohdHabeebuddin, an activist.

Even the employees working on the premises are worried about the decaying structures of the QQSUDA which has been ironically entrusted with the responsibility of restoring the old heritage structures, mostly in the surrounding Charminar. “Even this structure is not stable and the newly transferred higher officials are ensuring the building stands still,” said an employee.

When questioned about the situation of the record room and the decaying structure, the officials said that the issue was being prioritised. “There is a proposal to restore it and we shall be repairing the structure,” said a higher official.

However, there remains no clarity about what has to be done about the records, if they would be shifted to a new location or safeguarded at the same place.