World Heritage Day Today: Save! Stone railing of historic Golkonda Fort is crumbling

Hyderabad: Even as the heritage lovers gear up for celebrating World Heritage Day 2024 on April 18, residents of Golconda have raised alarm about the centuries-old stone boundary railing which is crumbling by the day.

According to locals, the stones which are part of the railing of Faseel (the fort wall) near Moti Darwaza, one of the eight gateways towards the Golconda Fort, have been falling in recent days. “This is one of the most neglected parts of the historic fort. You can see the texture of the soil, which appears to be freshly detached from stone, indicating recent damage. This does not appear natural, as it seems like someone is pushing them intentionally. I don’t think this is natural.

This has been a phenomenon for some time particularly between Moti Darwaza and Fateh Darwaza,” said a local heritage activist to The Hans India who does not wish to be named.

Others opined that this could be unintentional, as these isolated places atop the fort wall remain a hub of anti-social elements. There could be the possibility of youngsters under the influence of drugs or other substances causing the damage. “It is a fact that the Faseel is slowly collapsing and even the arches at the entrances of the fort are ripping apart. Besides the damage owing to nature, these stones are sometimes disturbed by the youngsters in an inebriated condition,” explained advocate Mohd Arif, who has been keeping track of changes to the wall for years.

In recent days, filling of construction debris as part of alleged encroachment activity, particularly at Moti Darwaza was reported, which triggered an uproar. Authorities intervened, bringing to a halt to the activity. However, it is believed that despite the intervention of authorities, the debris continues to be dumped to fill the moat not only at Moti Darwaza, but also at other locations. “In the dark of the night, tippers come and dump the debris despite tough norms under the GHMC, and the ASI’s monitoring mechanism for protecting the monument. Interestingly, all this is happening right near the ASI’s caution board which says ‘You are at the 100-metre prohibited zone limit of protected monument’,” the activist lamented. Congress leader Osman Al Hajri also highlighted the issue of fort wall allegedly encroached by land sharks reportedly backed by local politicians.