The Hindu : Andhra Pradesh / Hyderabad News : Bachelors Quarters soon a thing of the past

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Wednesday, Jul 02, 2008
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Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh - Hyderabad

Bachelors Quarters soon a thing of the past

J.S. Ifthekhar

-Photo: Mohd. Yousuf

Standing tall: Bachelors Quarters building on JN Road in Mozamjahi Market.

Hyderabad: The only bachelor hangout in the City is under threat. If the government has its way it can be a thing of the past soon. The fate of a popular landmark on Mozamjahi Market has been sealed. The hoary Bachelors Quarters is facing the axe from the A.P. Housing Board which plans to raise a new structure.

Eviction notices have been served on all the 43 tenants in this three-storeyed complex last year. The tenants want the Board to re-allot the rooms to them after reconstruction of the building and in the meantime to show them an alternate place to function. The structure built in 1942 has become unsafe to live, according to the Housing Board engineering section. However, the tenants contest the claim and say the building is strong enough and only minor repairs are needed.

Over the years there has been no maintenance practically, it is said.

Old world charm

Though not an imposing edifice, Bachelors Quarters stands out for its old worldly charm. All the rooms are big, airy and comfortable. The last batch of single men to occupy the place was some three decades ago before it was taken over by offices and commercial establishments. However, the name ‘bachelor’ has come to stay.

The oldest tenant here is Khan & Sons, the famous ad agency. Also functioning here are media offices, advocates, Telangana NGOs Association, watch company, cycle store to name a few. Built by the erstwhile City Improvement Board, it was rented out to students and others coming to Hyderabad for a nominal amount. Interestingly, it was the first building to have a pre-paid electricity system. One has to just insert a 25 paisa coin to avail the power worth the payment, says Mohd. Ahmed who runs a machine tools shop here.

The Bachelors Quarters was acquired for Rs. 1.48 lakh with the endowed amount of the Mader-e-Deccan scholarship fund floated by the seventh Nizam, Mir Osman Ali Khan, in the memory of his mother, Badi Begum Sahiba. Noted Urdu poet, Jigar Muradabadi, stayed here while Makhdoom Mohiuddin and Suleman Areeb dropped regularly. “Renowned comedian, Mehmood, learnt the Deccani accent for his films here only,” says Fazil Husain Parvez, who runs the Media Plus and Gawah weekly offices from Bachelor Quarters.

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