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.