Charminar battles odds: Fumes, dust eating into vitals of edifice

C R Gowri Shanker

Fumes, vibrations and dust among other pollutants are eating into the vitals of the edifice.

  Charminar

Hyderabad: The architectural masterpiece Charminar, celebrating its 425th birthday on October 9, is structurally strong, but is faced with odds: fumes, vibrations, dust among other pollutants and the vagaries of nature are eating into the vitals of the edifice in which history remains frozen.

A government ban is on, as a protective measure, on plying of buses and autos around the monument with a view to checking vehicular pollution and vibrations. Yet, the presence of cars, cabs, two-wheelers and other motor vehicles continue to pose a danger to the monument, that’s by far the most popular tourist spot in the city. Dust from construction sites in the area is causing serious damage to imposing structure.

The Archaeological Survey of India is the custodian of Charminar. It is painstakingly engaged in conservation and restoration works, besides monitoring air pollution. It has recorded over three times higher than the normal suspended particle matter level in the area, as of now.

“Structural heritage is a non-renewable resource. Intervention has to be compatible with the fabric of the monument. This isn’t always possible. The need is to prevent the fabric from being worn out by way of undertaking preventive conservation. Both structural conservation and preventive conservation are being undertaken at Charminar,” Mr N. Taher, superintending archaeologist, ASI, Hyderabad Circle, told this newspaper.

According to Mr Venjamuri Kotaiah, assistant archaeological chemist of ASI, SPM levels are high in the Charminar area. “As against the norm of 58 micrograms, the SPM level is 150 micrograms, at times even more, which affects not just Charminar but human beings too.

Dust, fumes, vibration, smoke, aerosols and bird droppings, in addition to vagaries of nature, are taking a heavy toll of smooth structures,” Mr Kotaiah said.

He added: “Un-burnt carbon from vehicles settles on smooth layers in the upper reaches, like minarets, which absorb lot of dust. You can see blackening at the top. When there are rains, its sucks water and this leads to growth of micro organisms. This weakens the smooth surface and gradually damages structures. Minarets are the most affected. There is a very complex impact.”

ASI has completed restoration of the northeast minaret. It has now taken up work on the northwest minaret. “We are undertaking repair of cracks, damage to motifs etc. It will be completed in two to three months. Conservation and restoration are not a one-time effort, but a continuing process,” Mr Kotaiah said.

Though the undivided AP government and subsequently the new Telangana state government took up a Charminar pedestrianisation programme, it is progressing at snail's pace due to local issues. It missed the Unesco world heritage tag due to the poor environs and awful upkeep of the surroundings, that heap shame on the governmental agencies.

The area has rustic, unclean ambience, though crores of funds allotted in the past for the area's maintenance went down the drain or were eaten away by the politician-engineer-contractor lobbies.

ASI asserts that Charminar's life can be extended for many more years, provided the environment is clean and a serious interest is evinced in conservation.

Sep 4, 2016

Charminar restoration: Repairs on 4 minars to end by 2018

DECCAN CHRONICLE. | C R GOWRI SHANKER

May 5, 2017

Two minars (northwest and northeast) will be completed by this year-end.

  A view of conservation work being undertaken by the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) on the minars
o of the famed 426-year old Charminar monument which is in the Old City of Hyderabad. (Photo: DC)

Hyderabad: The famed 426-year old Charminar’s conservation work is making good progress. Of the four minars, two minars (northwest and northeast) will be completed this year, while the remaining two will be finished in 2018. 

Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) had taken up the conservation of the four towering minars of the ancient monument in the heart of the Old City of Hyderabad last year after cracks, patches and cavities developed in the four minars of this architectural adornment to the city. The Charminar has been showing these signs of wear and tear due to the ageing process and nature. 

Though this insidious damage is not visible to those standing on the road, or looking at it from a distance, conservationists warn if repairs were not carried out immediately, it could cause harm to the structure in the future. 

“We have conducted a series of tests, including Lidar scanning, on the structural stability of the towers and found that the inner core of the Charminar is in good condition, since it was built with granite,” Dr V Gopal Rao, Conservation Assistant, ASI, who is posted at Charminar, told Deccan Chronicle. 

He added, “Externally, cracks have developed at various places. Also, air pollution due to emission of carbon dioxide from vehicles is causing external damage and blackening the structure. There was also damage to stucco works, floral motifs and other designs which have been repaired by experts.” 

He explained, “We used lime, plaster, sand, jaggery, gallnut, eggs, and marble powder to repair the damage”. 

The conservation work is being done under the supervision of N. Taher, Superintending Archaeologist, ASI. 

The Charminar was built by Mohammad Quli Qutb Shah, the fifth ruler of the Qutb Shahi dynasty, who was also the founder of Hyderabad city in Hijri 1000 (AD 1591-1592). 

The Charminar is a square structure measuring 31.95 metres on each side with imposing arches spanning a distance of 11 metres. Four minarets rise to a height of 56 metres. The spiral staircase inside the minarets has 149 steps leading to the top with 12 landings. 

This imposing building is known for its stucco decorations and impressive arrangement of balustrades and balconies. The floral designs are varied and delicately executed, a synthesis of Mughal and Hindu architecture, according to ASI. 

Currently, ASI is facing a huge problem with selfie-obsessed youngsters trying to take snaps standing on balconies. To prevent accidents, it has put up barricades at vantage points and posted guards to warn youth against trying to pose dangerously for selfies. “At present we have restricted entry up to the first floor since repairs are on”, he added. 

Land acquisition hits Pedestrianisation project 

Acquisition of land has become a major hurdle for the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation in the implementation of the Charminar Pedestrianisation Project. 

For the project to succeed, widening of the two ring roads around the Charminar is vital. 

The project-specific outer ring road is 5.4 km while the inner ring road is 2.3 km. For this, the GHMC has identified 30 private properties for acquisition, but the owners are adamant that the compensation offered for their property is meagre. 

They are demanding a much higher compensation from the government. Officials say that the property owners are demanding Rs 2 crore to Rs 3 crore. They said if the owners won’t come forward to give their properties of their own free will, the government will have to invoke the provisions of the Land Acquisition Act. 

The state government has sanctioned Rs 35 crore for the project, which, when implemented, will see the precincts, in a radius of 220 metres, of the historic monument becoming free of vehicular traffic.

Widening of the outer ring road to 90 feet so that larger vehicles like buses ply comfortably is part of the proposal. The width of the inner ring will be limited to 40 feet to cater to the needs of smaller vehicles like two-wheelers, tricycles and auto-rickshaws. 

In addition to widening of the outer and inner ring roads, paving the roads with granite has been taken up on all the four roads leading to the Charminar. These paved pathways will connect the inner ring road boundaries.  

To acquire private properties, the officials have completed the social impact assessment and conducted gram sabhas with the residents as per the requirement of the Land Acquisition Act. 

Meanwhile, GHMC town planning director K. Srinivasa Rao said that they have completed all the formalities required to acquire the private properties. 

Speaking to DC, Mr Rao said consultations are going on with the property owners. He expressed confidence that the hurdles in acquisition of the properties will be cleared soon.

DC