The Hindu : Andhra Pradesh / Hyderabad News : Majestic sentinels of the Raj lose character

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Thursday, Dec 14, 2006
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Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh - Hyderabad

Majestic sentinels of the Raj lose character

Dennis Marcus Mathew

Boisterous wedding parties, automobile workshops have taken over the bungalows of the British period

MARVEL OF YORE: The Le Palais Royal on the Paradise-Bowenpally road. - Photo: K. Ramesh Babu

HYDERABAD: Numbers like 208, 152 or 221 on registers of the Secunderabad Cantonment previously indicated majestic bungalows built during the British Raj. Now, boisterous wedding parties, automobile workshops and glitzy showrooms have taken over the stately premises of these bungalows.

A majority of the 120-odd Old Grant Bungalows (OGB) built on land assigned to the British Army by the Government of India with restrictions on the use of the land in the early 19th century have either been sold, sublet or are being used for commercial purposes without permission of the Defence Estates authorities.

Function halls

According to Defence sources, most of these have been turned into commercial enterprises like function halls, including Le Palais Royal (Bungalow No.150), Classic Gardens (B.No.152), Imperial and Jewel Gardens (B.No.208), Tivoli Gardens (B.No.221) and Mallareddy Function Hall (B.No.173).

Bantia Gardens has a showroom, workshop and a function hall in place of Bungalow No.207.

The Agrasen Bhavan function hall (B.No.149), Pearl Palace (B.No.151/A), Dreamland Garden (B.No.221/B) and a petrol bunk on B.No.179 too are "illegal occupants". Geetanjali School near Sappers Lines, an apartment complex in Mudfort and a few dhabas near Bowenpally have been built on OGB premises.

A Central Minister, a prominent club in Secunderabad and several bigwigs of the city are allegedly among illegal owners of OGBs. Though the Defence Estate Office here served show-cause notices to nearly 80 per cent of the illegal owners and occupants, little has changed.

OGBs were built on land given to the British by the Nizam with approval of the Indian Government to construct residences for Army officers. Some lands were granted to private parties for the construction.

Government retained the title over the land, with builders having occupancy right only over the structure. They were not to sell or sublease it.

G.O. details

"The general order issued by the Governor General-in-Council No. 179, dated September 12, 1836, clearly states that Government reserves the right to resume the Defence property at any time on giving one month's notice, paying value of the building. Section 6 (2) of the order states that the land belongs to the Government and cannot be sold or used for purposes other than residential," a Defence official says.

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