The ongoing construction of a cafeteria and public toilets near the Salar Jung Museum in Hyderabad has raised concerns about the museum’s security. The director of the museum, Dr A Nagender Reddy, has urged the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) to stop the construction, as he believes it will create a safety hazard and affect the museum’s ambiance.
The construction work was authorized by the GHMC in June of this year as part of the Safe City Project Hyderabad. The Swachh Management Services was given permission to build the cafeteria and toilets in the Charminar zone. However, observers have noticed that the construction is taking place on a footpath in front of the museum’s entry gate, which is also a Musi river wall. Local activists and passersby are concerned that this construction may pose a safety hazard for one of the city’s largest museums.
Mohammed Ahmed, a social activist from Noor Khan Bazar, an area close to the museum, has expressed his worries about the development near the museum. He believes that the construction of the cafeteria will lead to safety concerns and inconvenience for tourists visiting the museum. Ahmed suggests that the GHMC should build the cafeteria and toilets in a different location, away from the museum zone.
Dr A Nagender Reddy, the museum director, has emphasized that the construction of the cafeteria and toilets in front of the museum poses a safety and security hazard. He also highlights that it will negatively impact the museum’s ambiance and could potentially damage the Musi river retention wall.
In response to a complaint from the Salar Jung Museum authorities, the GHMC EE of Charminar zone has suspended the construction until further orders after receiving a call from the Town Planning department.
