HYDERABAD: The Paigah Palace, a notified heritage building located at Chiran Fort Lane in Begumpet, is likely to be used by Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy as his camp office if well-placed sources in the Hyderabad Metropolitan Development Authority (HMDA) are to be believed.
The Paigah Palace served as the US Consulate General office in Hyderabad for almost 15 years — from October 24, 2008, to March 2022, and the HMDA head office before that. Vacant presently, the Paigah Palace is under the control of the HMDA. The heritage building is spread over 4.15 acres and has a built-up area of 60,000 to 65,000 sq. ft.
On Saturday, rumours started doing rounds that the General Administration Department (GAD) has identified the Paigah Palace for the chief minister’s camp office. The speculation gained weight when it emerged that a team of senior officials from GAD, the CMO and the Municipal Administration and Urban Development (MAUD) had been inspecting the heritage building over the past few days.
The sources said that the officials are of the view that the Paigah Palace has all the required infrastructure for making it the chief minister’s camp office. Also, it is situated close to the Begumpet airport, the Secretariat and nearby government offices. However, the chief minister is yet to decide in this regard, the sources said.
MCR HRD too considered
The chief minister’s visit to the MCR HRD in Jubilee Hills last month sparked speculations that the Vivekananda Block in its premises was likely to be made the new camp office. Revanth even held a few meetings at the MCR HRD. However, unlike the Vivekananda block in the MCR HRD, which will need quite a few modifications, Paigah Palace is said to be equipped with all the facilities to commence serving as the CM’s camp office immediately. Besides, the MCR HRD is far away from the Secretariat.
Officials, wishing to remain unnamed, told TNIE that after inspecting the building, they found it suitable as it has all the facilities and does not require much renovation. The previous BRS government had planned to lease the palace to private individuals for setting up a hotel on the lines of Taj Falaknuma Palace in the Old City. The US Consulate General in Hyderabad operated from Paigah Palace for almost 15 years before shifting to its new facility at Nanakramguda. The palace was handed over to the HMDA on April 17, 2023.
Between 1975 and 2007, the palace housed the head office of HMDA.
A beautiful edifice
It is a large two-storeyed neoclassical building with a portico, semicircular arches, unfluted Corinthian columns, projected and pedimented windows, and deep arcaded verandahs on all four sides. In 1999, a multi-storeyed annexe was added towards the rear side of the palace for office purposes. In 2008, the building was temporarily leased to house the US Consulate General.
Presently, there is no permanent camp office for the chief minister. Former chief minister K Chandrasekhar Rao used Pragathi Bhavan in Begumpet as the camp office. However, when the Congress came to power, it was renamed Praja Bhavan and allocated as the official residence of Deputy Chief Minister Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka. The Paigah Palace was built in 1900 by Sir Vicar ul Umra after he gifted the Falaknuma Palace to his brother-in-law, Nizam VI Mir Mahbub Ali Khan.
Power centre
The Paigah Palace served as the US Consulate General office in Hyderabad for almost 15 years — from October 2008 to March 2022.
The Paigah Palace was built in 1900 by Sir Vicar ul Umra after he gifted the Falaknuma Palace to his brother-in-law, Nizam VI.
from The New Indian Express - Telangana - https://ift.tt/8d3ZOWM https://ift.tt/zHsmSgv
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