HYDERABAD: The 428-year-old iconic structure, Charminar, suffered what appears to be major damage when a chunk of plaster from the South-West minaret fell on late Wednesday night.
The damage which is visible on the minaret from the ground is said to be the result of lack of regular repair and maintenance of the historic monument.
Archeological Survey of India (ASI) is the custodian of the building which was built by the fifth king of Qutb Shahi dynasty Mohammad Quli Qutb Shah in 1591.
According to sources the ASI has already started assessing the damage and would undertake its repair soon. “How much work has to undertaken would be decided by a panel of experts who are already working on the site. The question they are exploring is whether it is the entire monument or only the damaged part should be repaired,” a source at the ASI told Siasat.com on Thursday.
With the news of the damage spreading general public and tourists have been thronging the monument that stands majestically in what was earlier the City Centre of Hyderabad.
Police have deployed additional force to regulate the traffic around the monument.
The source said that the repair of Charminar has taken place in the past some 90 years ago. It is not known what kind of material was used at that time. “But when we undertake the repair we would create the same kind of material which was originally used in the construction of the building,” he said.
He said that it is suspected that reckless use of heavy machinery to undertake the repair of roads and pulling down of buildings close to Charminar by the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation and ceaseless traffic movement around the monument might have caused the damage.
According to experts the base of Charminar is square with each side measuring 20m in width. The four minarets stand at a height of 56mts from the ground.
[source_without_link]SIASAT NEWS[/source_without_link]