A petitioner has sought the AP High Court's intervention in the protection of heritage structures, such as the state Assembly, Moazzam Jahi Market and Charminar, that abut the execution of the Hyderabad Metro Rail Limited (HMRL) project. Retired IAS officer Bawa and O.M. Debara, members of the Forum for a Better Hyderabad, filed the petition, stating that the authorities, who included the principal municipal administration and urban development secretary, HMDA Metropo-litan commissioner, HMRL managing director and others finalised the HMRL project without taking care to protect the vicinity and skyline around the heritage structures.
They asked the court for an interim direction as the construction works had not commenced near the heritage structures and a direction to the authorities to see that the HMR project takes the undergro-und route near these important heritage structures and precincts, as done in Delhi and Bengaluru. The retired IAS officer, who is also a member of the Indian National Trust for Arts and Cultural Heritage, submitted that a statutory body like the Heritage Conservation Committee had been brought into existence for the protection of heritage in the city. The matter will come up for hearing on Monday.