Mohammed Younus / Hyderabad : The management and students of Koti Women’s College, along with heritage lovers, are strongly opposing the changes proposed in the Metro Rail alignment as it would eventually disturb the campus atmosphere and deface a heritage structure on it. For, the modified track route would pass through the college campus intercepting it right on the middle of its ground and run towards Mahatma Gandhi Bus Station (MGBS).
Under the previous plan, the route was to pass through Sultan Bazar road. As local traders could successfully convince the State government to realign the Metro Rail so as to avoid Sultan Bazar road, Chief Minister K Chandrashekhar Rao had asked the Metro Rail authorities to draw up an alternative route, they pointed out. Metro authorities proposed to cross the track from the Women’s College campus as it would help avoid any damage to property of traders in Sultan Bazar area. They proposed that the existing route could change its course from Badi Chowdi to Women’s College and move further intercepting college campus.
Ever since this proposal came to light, the college management, students and some heritage lovers have started criticising the modified realignment plan. Women’s College principal B T Seetha sought to know how the government could ruin the place where students are being educated. Should the proposal be implemented, the only ground of the institution would vanish and the peaceful atmosphere on the campus would be disturbed forever, she reasoned. She decried that neither the State government nor the Metro Rail authorities bothered to consult the college authorities before drawing up the new route.
Had they consulted us, we could have proposed any other alternative, she added. Yet another significant question pertains to the listed heritage structure on the campus – the Residency Building. Heritage conservationist P Anuradha Reddy said that, despite issues concerning Metro Rail realignment, there had been no public hearing and no public opinion was sought before going ahead with the project in Hyderabad. “The Metro Rail is now running in the city like a wild buffalo damaging one or the other heritage structure or public properties.” It was time for Metro Rail authorities to garner public opinion on each route it was designing rather than limit discussions to politicians who did not know much about heritage, she commented.
Before starting the project, the authorities concerned had done neither environmental assessment nor heritage sites assessment in the city. The people were the owners of city and their opinions ought to be taken. Students of the Women’s College have started protesting against the proposals as they would possibly turn their lush and vast campus ground into a highway with huge pillars carrying Metro tracks. M Snehalata, a B Sc student, said that she would not accept government’s nod to ruin her college campus. “Perhaps we would leave the campus in a year or two, but for the next generation students the college atmosphere would be completely destroyed, turning it into railway track.”
Ever since this proposal came to light, the college management, students and some heritage lovers have started criticising the modified realignment plan. Women’s College principal B T Seetha sought to know how the government could ruin the place where students are being educated. Should the proposal be implemented, the only ground of the institution would vanish and the peaceful atmosphere on the campus would be disturbed forever, she reasoned. She decried that neither the State government nor the Metro Rail authorities bothered to consult the college authorities before drawing up the new route.
Had they consulted us, we could have proposed any other alternative, she added. Yet another significant question pertains to the listed heritage structure on the campus – the Residency Building. Heritage conservationist P Anuradha Reddy said that, despite issues concerning Metro Rail realignment, there had been no public hearing and no public opinion was sought before going ahead with the project in Hyderabad. “The Metro Rail is now running in the city like a wild buffalo damaging one or the other heritage structure or public properties.” It was time for Metro Rail authorities to garner public opinion on each route it was designing rather than limit discussions to politicians who did not know much about heritage, she commented.
Before starting the project, the authorities concerned had done neither environmental assessment nor heritage sites assessment in the city. The people were the owners of city and their opinions ought to be taken. Students of the Women’s College have started protesting against the proposals as they would possibly turn their lush and vast campus ground into a highway with huge pillars carrying Metro tracks. M Snehalata, a B Sc student, said that she would not accept government’s nod to ruin her college campus. “Perhaps we would leave the campus in a year or two, but for the next generation students the college atmosphere would be completely destroyed, turning it into railway track.”
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