Mutilation of Naya Qila heritage site continues

Golkonda: The massive excavation works being carried out by earth movers and other machinery of Hyderabad Golf Association (HGA) continue to change the landscape of the Naya Qila, an extended portion of Golkonda fort protected by Archaeological Survey of India (ASI). 

Approval for excavation works was issued in 2011 by ASI for construction of a golf course at Naya Qila and since then devastation of habitat, landscape and heritage has been taking place unabatedly. Moreover, HGA continues to dump heaps of mud to lay the grass by using heavy machinery like earth movers. On Tuesday about 50 labourers were working at the Heritage site “Majnu Burj”.

General secretary of Socialist Party -Telangana, Lubna Sarwath said, “The site must be protected under the Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Sites and Remains Act (AMASR) and the sad part is that the devastation of landscape continues to prevail. Recently about 50 labourers with heavy machinery were engaged at the Majnu Burj to change the contours of the heritage site. 

ASI staff deployed and reprehended the works of HGA but the works continued as green signal was given by the higher staff of ASI. Nonetheless, the state government is also involved in it. 

So I had filed a letter to the Union Minister and we are waiting for a response. Apart from this the case is also pending with High Court in the city which was filed in March 2017 to open the park for the public.”