The property belonging to the seventh Nizam of Hyderabad, Mir Osman Ali Khan, has come under the radar of the Telangana government. The proposed demolition of the 150-year-old heritage building, which happens to be a notified heritage structure in Hyderabad, has led the state government to intervene.Netizens have expressed fears concerning the future of the building, and the Telangana government had to issue directives that the structure cannot be altered or leveled. The Rs 300 crore property is currently at the center of a civil dispute between Mumbai-based Neeharika Infrastructure Pvt Ltd and Kashmir-based Iris Hospitality.Media reports and public posts on social media about the alleged demolition have led Arvind Kumar, special chief secretary of municipal administration and urban development, which is responsible for the management of the state’s urban areas, to tweet on April 17 that both parties involved in the dispute must “not alter/ level” the structure.Arvind Kumar tweeted with the title Clarification – “The #KingKoti palace is a notified Heritage structure &amp; can’t be altered/ modified/ demolished without prior permission from GHMC. It’s in a civil dispute. All said owners are served notices not to alter/ level/ do anything. Police are asked to maintain vigil.” The special chief secretary adds that it’s private property that is under civil dispute. So, though it happens to be a private structure, owners need to have the approval of the competent authority, that is, Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC).Incidentally, a notified heritage structure by definition means any building of one or more premises, structures, and artifacts that requires conservation or preservation for historical, architectural, artisanal, aesthetic, cultural, or environmental purposes.As per the central government document, no development, engineering operation, alterations, or renovations are allowed except with the prior permission of the commissioner, municipal corporation/ vice-chairman, or development authority.Also, before granting permission, the agency is expected to consult the heritage conservation committee (HCC). While Neeharika Infrastructure has denied having any intention of going ahead with demolition, Iris Hospitality has chosen to remain silent on the matter.

7th Nizam House in King Kothi gets T Govt to Take Swift Action

In times when even old age homes come with a community tag, here is one geriatric facility that houses inmates of different faiths. To put it in simple words, caste, creed, or religion does not matter for an old person to stay here, free of cost.In a nondescript building on the premises of Masjid-e-Mohammadia near Aramghar crossroads, situated beside the PVNR expressway connecting the Hyderabad airport, is the old age home run by Helping Hand Foundation.The two-storeyed building was constructed for a school, though the operations never took off. Then, it was used as an isolation ward for COVID patients. However, once the patients reduced and with the third wave in the offing, the building was shut down for a few days. Later, it was reopened as an old age home in January.At present, the building houses 18 men and 21 women, who share 11 rooms. Five of them are visually impaired, and ten are bedridden. Four of the inmates who were bedridden have already started walking, adds Mohammed Fareedullah or Fareed, who manages the place.All the inmates have had complex issues at home and would not like to go home or have no home to go to. But the place offers facilities like a seasoned and well-funded old age home. The center is visited by a physician and physiotherapist, and it has full-time nurses, bedside assistants, housekeeping staff, and even an in-house pharmacy. A dentist also visits the place every Friday, and a psychiatrist makes a visit on alternate weeks.Mujtaba Hasan Askari of the Helping Hand Foundation shares that the old age home is a platform to show that humanity binds all human beings. He adds that the environment is positive and stress-free, where love and respect are given to inmates irrespective of their caste, creed, and religion. In times when there is increasing polarization in the country, Aksari says they wanted to start a place that was open for all and where there are no inhibitions.

Thread of Humanity Binds Inmates at Inter-faith Geriatric Facility

The hustle and bustle of the old town during the month of Ramadan is known to all. People of all communities and social statuses visit the Old City area and shop from midnight until dawn during the Ramzan month. Along with the shopping, people also rush to savor the Ramzan delicacies like Haleem, Pathar Ka Ghost, Falooda, etc.The whole area is bustling with visitors much more than the capacity of the narrow lanes. In the last 10-12 days the market will be even busier. In this context, the traffic police announced that free parking facilities have been set up for motorists in six nearby areas. Motorists are advised to bring to the notice of the police if anyone collects money.Visitors could park their vehicles free of cost at the Unani Hospital premises near Charminar, the stadium, the Mothigally Pension Office, the premises of Mufidullah Nam High School in Kot Aliza, and the RTC bus stand in Panchmohalla. People can park their vehicles in these parking spots and go visit the Charminar, Laad Bazaar, Badichowdi, and other shopping areas.

Four Free Parking Spots For Ramzan Shoppers

Poor and middle-class people are getting bewildered by rising cooking oil prices in the Greater Hyderabad Range. "If the rates increase like this, how can they buy in the coming days?" they are worried. The black-marketing is also equally responsible for this price hike along with the Russia - Ukraine war. With this, the prices of sunflower oil, palm oil, and groundnut oil are currently on the rise.&nbsp;The central government has also reduced the import duty to put a stop to the rising cooking oil prices. However, some people are deliberately inflating prices. Despite the vigilance from the officials, the MRP rule is not followed anywhere. About 80 percent of the world's sunflower oil is exported through the Black Sea. But Russia is creating an obstacle.&nbsp;The Russian army has been in Ukraine since last February. It is a known fact that prices have gone up because of this. In addition, Indonesia, currently the world's largest producer of palm oil, has decided to impose restrictions on exports of edible oil and its raw materials to reduce domestic shortages. Economists expect food inflation to rise further in the coming days with the decision by Indonesia. India is the largest consumer of palm oil in the world. The decision by the Indonesian government will have serious implications. If this is the case, the cooking oil prices will go further up.

Cooking Oils Prices Worrying Consumers

The bright walls of Hyderabad city are a witness to the art movement that has started in the city, wherein various artists have been either commissioned or allowed to showcase their art. And one of these artists happens to be Abhedya Bhagawan.Abhedya, like all artists, started out by doodling his favorite characters on walls as a kid. Eventually, his passion has now turned into his profession, and he earns well. He first started off by painting a wall on Necklace Road in the Maqta Art District. He followed this up by painting a wall in the co-living space called Boston Living in Kondapur and has just completed doing a wall for Grease Monkey, a pub that opened recently in Jubilee Hills.The 25-year-old shares that street art is more about being creatively expressive, while graffiti is commissioned and often has political or social undertones. It is more 'revolutionary,' points out Abhedya. He says Hyderabad is emerging as a cultural capital thanks to urban subcultures such as hip hop, skateboarding, stickers, etc.Abhedya has had his training from Santanu Hazarika and Sadhu X of Nepal, apart from being a fine arts student. He also worked with Redbull and a Delhi-based non-profit called St+art India, which helped him gain experience and develop his own unique style.

Painting The Town Red in Myriad Hues

The incident where bouncers indiscriminately attacked a customer in a pub has become sensational. The incident at the Prism Pub, Gachibowli has left customers in a state of panic. the incident of bouncers attacking a customer came to light recently. Three bouncers beat blue and black a customer named Nandakishore.&nbsp;Along with the bouncers, the pub management also joined them to manhandle the customer. Nandakishore's nose and mouth were bleeding due to the blows of the bouncers. Scenes of the attack were recorded on a CCTV camera at the pub. A man is also threatening to kill Nandakishore, who was already wounded.The real issue came out when the victim Nanda Kishore complained to the police about the bouncers' attack. Police who registered the case arrested three bouncers. The incident took place on Saturday night at the Prism Pub. Nandakishore said that he smoked in a no-smoking zone and did not know that it was actually a no-smoking zone.&nbsp;He said it was the first time he had ever been to a pub. After that, he said the bouncers attacked him indiscriminately. Nandikishore said that even though his friends came and pleaded with the bouncers to stop, they would not leave him. Nandakishore, who was critically injured in the attack, is being treated at a hospital.

Bouncers Manhandle Customer In Gachibowli Pub

Eid-ul-Fitr is the biggest or the most popular festival celebrated during this season, and it is a time when people buy a lot of new things to mark the festivities. The shops in the old city are seeing exceptional sales this year as the shops barely had any visitors in the past two years due to COVID lockdowns.In fact, it’s not just locals. Shoppers from various parts of Telangana and neighboring states are heading to the market to make purchases as the shops are now open round-the-clock. The traders are happy as the sales are at an all-time high, and since people are shopping late into the night, shares old city traders association president Abid Mohiuddin. Incidentally, shoppers from Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra, and Karnataka come for Eid shopping here.One can buy imitation jewelry, gold jewelry, diamonds, pearls, children’s wear, designer sarees, heavily embroidered dresses, burkhas, cutlery, footwear, home decor items, fruits, dates... and the list goes on. One can also pick up some attar (perfume) in keeping with the season’s mood or relish sheer khurma and biryani.While the market is open till 2 am now, on days preceding Ramzan, the shops will be open till morning. There are many small markets that are famous for different things. For example, there is Osmania Bazaar near Machli Kaman, where one can get crockery, cutlery, and tableware sets. At Shehran market, one can lay hands on a wide variety of burkhas, and in New Laad Bazaar and Khilawat, one can shop for ladies’ readymade apparel.Gulzar Houz is famous for jewelry, Patel market for sarees, Devan Devdi for kids’ wear, Laad Bazaar for bangles, and Madina Building for footwear, especially Kolhapuri and Salim Shahi footwear. Laad Bazaar is also enjoying its past glory as, during the past two years, people wouldn’t shop for bangles for fear of contracting COVID, as they are touched by all.Haleem is obviously available throughout the season, and the stalls also offer Patthar ka gosht, kebabs, masala gosht, and other delicacies. One can also try out yummy Falooda and lassi.Ramzan is expected to be celebrated on May 3, though it all depends on the sighting of the new moon.

Shopping in Full Swing in Old City Prior to Ramzan

Khusro Manzil, a heritage site in Hyderabad, has been razed to the ground. While only recently, the court had stalled the demolition of the King Kothi house of the Nizam, the indifferent attitude of the GHMC has led to the demolition of this structure.About ten earthmovers worked day and night for the past few days, and today Khusro Manzil lies in a heap of concrete. And to add salt to injury, the site will now be used for the construction of a multi-storeyed apartment building at the site of a heritage structure, the demolition of which began in 2013. However, on several occasions in the past, HMDA had said that it never gave the go-ahead for the demolition.In fact, some apartment owners had made representations to MAUD minister KT Rama Rao, mayor G Vijayalakshmi, officials of HMDA, and the police department to protect the heritage building. However, as the present owner and developer allegedly have the backing of political bigwigs, the structure was razed.Right now, eight earthmovers are on the job to clear the huge pile of concrete debris, which is causing a lot of inconvenience to those in the area. Around 130 families live in various apartments around the site, and despite lodging several complaints at the Nampally police station that is situated next to the site, no action has been taken so far.As per HUDA guidelines, Khusro Manzil was classified as a Grade III heritage structure, with serial no 118. In the past, the structure happened to be the residence of the chief commanding officer of the Nizam’s forces and was built in the 1920s.Heritage conservationists and the public are appalled by the lack of empathy from the officials concerned.

Heritage Site Razed For Multi-storey Apartment Complex

Technology solutions company Cyient has announced that it has acquired Finland-based Citec, a global plant and product engineering services company, for an undisclosed sum. According to Cyient, this deal happens to be the largest outbound acquisition by an Indian engineering company and its largest acquisition to date.Given the global awareness and pursuit of clean energy, the acquisition will strengthen Cyient’s presence in the energy industry with a focus on clean energy. The company is hoping to expand its European footprint in the Nordic countries of Finland, Norway, and Sweden, along with Germany and France.“The acquisition will allow us to take our combined plant engineering and digital solutions portfolio to a new set of customers who have extensive manufacturing facilities globally,” says Krishna Bodanapu, managing director and CEO, Cyient.As for Citec, the company was founded in 1984 and is currently serving customers across the energy, process, oil and gas, and manufacturing industries. “The large international organization of Cyient, with more than 14,000 experts, enables new offerings to our customers, as well as new opportunities for our employees, shares Johan Westermarck, CEO, Citec.The Finland company is hoping to provide customers with a ‘much more’ comprehensive set of services and solutions, such as the utilization of Cyient’s strong digital offering.

Hyd-based Cyient Acquires Citec in Finland

If you are an adrenaline junkie and would love to indulge in some fun activities, then you no longer have to go to other states or other countries. You can have your share of adventure right now, right here in Shamirpet at District Gravity.The place has over 50 adventurous activities and is a perfect place to satiate the thrill-seeker in you. The adventure park includes some unique adventure facilities like the giant swing, go-karting, etc. There are also different packages to suit different needs. Also, it is open on all days from 9 am to 6 pm.District Gravity has something for everyone, including kids and youngsters. From indoor games like the pool table and ludo to outdoor games like cricket and archery, the list of activities is quite long. However, the main attractions include a human slingshot, paintball, and zip line. There is also the three-level rope course, bull ride, bungee, mud run, Tarzan track, and multi-tower activity. Incidentally, the zip line and chicane circuit are one of India’s longest.Another activity that is one-of-its-kind here is the giant swing, which is rarely available in the city. The swing oscillates from a height of 50 ft and is a two-seater priced at Rs 400 plus GST. However, the maximum weight has to be less than 100 kg, and the minimum age should be 12 years.One other activity that is a must-try is the mud run. A 200-meter circuit with multiple obstacles is ideal for testing one’s endurance and is total fun. It costs Rs 8000 for a team of 10 participants and shoes are a must.There is also a pool bridge and rain dance area for kids. The place is ideal for family and friends and makes for a perfect outing for schools and corporate. The basic package includes Rs 599 plus taxes, and specialized packages start from Rs 1500 plus taxes.

District Gravity at Shamirpet, Ideal for Some Adrenaline Rush

Well, one incident came to light early in the morning of March 6, 2022. Vehicles that were stopping for diesel at a petrol bunk were stopping instantly and no one knew the reason. Some owners shelled out huge amounts to get their vehicles repaired without knowing the actual reason.Going into details, vehicle owners are dreading stopping at a petrol bunk on the Hyderabad-Vijayawada highway. In fact, they are demanding that the petrol bunk be shut down immediately.The petrol bunk happens to be on the outskirts of Hyderabad near Pedda Amberpet and Outer Ring Road. The petrol bunk is said to pumping diesel filled with water into vehicles coming to them. Subsequently, on Sunday morning, four cars and one borewell vehicle were stuck at the petrol bunk. Though initially, the vehicle owners did not think of foul play, on closer inspection, they found that a huge amount of water was added to diesel. And when they confronted the workers at the bunk, they got vague answers which irked the vehicle owners.Now, all the disgruntled vehicle owners are demanding that the petrol bunk has to be shut down.