OGH to stay put, regain glory

​Hyderabad: Putting aside all speculation, the Telangana State Health Minister C Laxma Reddy categorically stated that the 90-year-old Osmania General Hospital (OGH) would not be demolished; only repairs would be taken up and a major portion of the building would be used as an administrative block. A new building would come up in the adjacent open space inside the OGH campus. He was speaking at a function in the hospital following a successful liver and kidney transplantation conducted at the hospital on Sunday.

Heritage activists in the city hailed the decision. P Anuradha Reddy, convenor, Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage (INTACH) said, “This is welcome news. INTACH wishes that the Telangana government recognizes all heritage structures in the city and the state which will not only augment economic value but also the heritage value.”

Designed by Vincent J Esch, a European architect, the Osmania General Hospital has a long history. Sajjad Shahid, heritage activist who has been opposing the demolition of the hospital says, “The Osmania Hospital and the High Court are like two pearls in the Old City that first capture the imagination of people with their majestic architecture.

The news augurs well for one and all.” While there were apprehensions that the hospital would cave in, a report from INTACH Delhi said that the building only needed repairs as there was no maintenance for years.