Will take legal route if OGH is dismantled: INTACH

INTACH has countered a move by Telangana government to dismantle Hyderabad’s Osmania General Hospital, saying the iconic building is “structurally safe” and that it would take “legal recourse” if there are any attempts to raze the over 90-year-old historic structure.“Our Hyderabad Chapter has already conducted a survey of the building and found it structurally safe.“And, we therefore will first try convincing the state government to give up the idea of dismantling the hospital, an architectural icon no less, but if they still try to tear it down, we will take a legal route to save it,” INTACH Chairman Maj Gen (retd) L K Gupta told PTI here.Built in early 1920s, Osmania General Hospital (OGH) sits handsomely on the bank of Musi River with complementing Osmanian architectural buildings on the other bank, adding to the iconic skyline of Hyderabad.The three-storeyed hospital, a listed heritage building, was constructed during the reign of Mir Osman Ali Khan, the seventh and the last Nizam of Hyderabad.It was built by British architect Vincent Jerome Esch, who also designed several other buildings in that city.

The three-storeyed hospital, a listed heritage building, was constructed during the reign of Mir Osman Ali Khan, the seventh and the last Nizam of Hyderabad.The Telanagana government seeks to replace the old hospital with two multi-storeyed structures, and the move has hurt heritage lovers in the city and beyond, while the opposition parties like Congress, MIM and others have said they would resist any attempts of demolition.“We will make 10-15 storey hospital and it will be able to cater 10 times the number of patients it does now. It will have the same name (OGH),” Telangana Deputy Chief Minister Mahmood Ali said earlier this month.The Delhi-headquartered Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage (INTACH), a non-profit NGO, with its 180 chapters spread across the country, has spearheaded conservation and restoration of tangible heritage for over 30 years since its inception.