Paigah Palace under threat
Uncle Sam has sought a Rs 10 lakh waiver for construction of a ‘commercial building’ on Paigah Palace premises! And, on expected lines, the Andhra Pradesh government gave it in a jiffy without thinking twice.
American authorities had proposed construction of a ‘commercial building’, other modifications to the existing heritage structure Paigah Palace and an inner security compound wall for the temporary establishment of the US Consulate there. The consulate authorities also sought the necessary sanction from the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation. The GHMC duly acknowledged their request and asked them to pay Rs 10,61,139 fee, including building permit fee, development charges and betterment charges.
Paigah Palace, which was built in 1880, was the headquarters of Huda. Consequent to the government decision to hand over it to the US authorities to house the temporary consulate office, Huda had to move its offices elsewhere in the city. Huda handed over Paigah Palace to US authorities in October last year. Then, the Consulate decided to spruce up the Palace to suit their demands. In this connection, the management officer, American Consulate-General, Hyderabad, wrote a letter to the Principal Secretary (Protocol), General Administration Department (GAD), seeking waiver of the GHMC fee as per “Clause-C under Article-7 of the lease agreement between the Government of Andhra Pradesh and the USA”.
The government, in a letter (No 690/ Poll A/2005, dated 31/01/2008), granted waiver and permission to “carry out necessary construction or repairs at the interim facility at Paigah Palace”. Also, Huda’s Heritage Conservation Committee gave the nod to carry out the necessary repairs of the Palace.
Source : The Times of India
(2 votes, average: 3 out of 5)
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It is totally understanding and a wise decision by the govt to grant the fee waiver and permission for the US consulate since it will generate huge revenvues for our region (Hyd)in long run and the inconvenience of travelling to Chennai for consulate needs. Good step by the GHMC.