Information from an RTI application may scupper plans of many upcoming housing projects around the Golconda Fort.
The information furnished by the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) shows that the moat around the fort is also a protected structure. This runs contrary to the topography maps hosted on the National Remote Sensing Centre’s Bhuvan application.
The protected monuments of ASI have three-tiered protection with areas marked as protected, where no development is allowed, prohibited area, and regulated boundary, where the National Monuments Authority gives permission based on the nature of development. With the moat classified as protected, the boundary expands by 101 metres limiting construction activity.
In a recent case, when survey officials visited a site being developed by a builder near the Bapu Ghat area, they discovered a second moat of the fort. This was noted in a preliminary report and a detailed survey is set to take place, as the site shares border with Army cantonment area.
There are countless instances of encroachment in and around the Golconda Fort, violating the integrity of the site.
Dossier
The Telangana government has created a dossier for making a case for Golconda Fort and Qutb Shahi tombs as world heritage sites where it has languished in the tentative list.
In a reply about the details of encroachment in Golconda Fort, the ASI said, “There is no land schedule for the protection notification. This office has asked the State Government (District Administration) to provide the same. In its absence the exact data cannot be provided.”
As per the 1951 and 1985 gazette notification: “Golconda Fort comprising citadel, outer fortification walls, gateways and other ancient structures, including the Naya Qilla and Qutb Shahi Mahal together with government land lying between the inner citadel and outer fortification walls” are part of the protected site.
This summer has been a busy season with tourists from across the country making a beeline for visiting the Fort after footfalls declined for the last two years due to the COVID pandemic and lockdown. But visitors are dismayed at the encroachments that abut the road between Banjari Darwaza and Bala Hissar Darwaza. The rise in footfalls has also resulted in traffic chaos at both the Fateh Darwaza and Banjari Darwaza. As the road has sharp curves in both the entrances, the speed of vehicles has to be low leaving residents and tourists fuming.
