Hyderabad: 'Save rocks' clamour as solid as a rock

Hyderabad: It has been more than a year since the last meeting with stakeholders was held to save natural rock formations by the Heritage Department. After the recent deluge which brought untold misery to scores of localities in the city, particularly in the suburbs, the Society to Save Rocks has decided to pursue the matter so that the 24 notified heritage rock precincts (rock areas) and 25 proposed on Outer Ring Road (ORR) are enlisted in the Telangana Heritage (Protection, Preservation, Conservation and Maintenance) Act, 2017.

Speaking to The Hans India, secretary, Society to Save Rocks, Fruake Quader said that the society would be pursuing the matter once again and 'it is in the pipeline'. "After last year's meeting with the Heritage Department, various issues including corona has affected the progress. Now we shall be taking forward the issue with the authorities concerned and with the cooperation of all stakeholders," she said.

The meeting, which was held in October last year following a court order questioning the government as to why important rock formations were not listed in the new Act, was conducted by the then director of Heritage Department, Dinakar Babu. It was attended by scientists, from the Geological Survey of India, National Geophysical Research Institute, officials of HMDA and representatives of The Society to Save Rocks and INTACH. "Scientists were involved in to look into the sites which were proposed to be listed under Heritage Act. The first list contains nine sites (notified in 1998) and the second list has 15 sites (notified in 2009). Unfortunately, by the time the next meeting was held the Heritage Committee was disbanded and there was no reappointment of the panel. Even the HMDA was unable to take forward the issue," she recalled.

Anuradha Reddy, president INTACH (Hyderabad Chapter) attributed the heightened disaster from recent floods in city to the destruction of natural rock formations. "Rocks protect monuments and recent floods have shown that destruction of rocks caused flooding in new areas, as water changes direction."

Group I - Rock formations notified in 1998

♥ The hillocks around Durgam Cheruvu

♥ Rock Park (Rocks destroyed for colony; to be deleted)

♥ Bear's Nose (The rock is protected by hotel Trident)

♥ Mushroom Rock

♥ Cliff Rock

♥ Monster Rock

♥ Tortoise Rock

♥ Toadstool

♥ Obelisk

Group II - Rock formations notified in 2009

♥ Moula-Ali

♥ Sentinel Rock, Malkajgiri

♥ Skull Rock

♥ Hamburger Rock

♥ Dargah Pahad-e-Shareef rocks

♥ United We Stand

♥ Patthar Dil

♥ Rocks around Peeranshah Wali Dargah

♥ Ridge behind Malkam Cheruvu

♥ Dattatreya Temple Rock

♥ Allabanda Hill

♥ Ganga Bowli Ka Pahad

♥ Rocks around Dargah, Ghaar-E-Mubarak

♥ Rock formation around Shameerpet Lake

♥ Fakhruddingutta