Hyderabad: ‘Old City’ faces many challenges, no easy solutions
Hyderabad: After the Gulzar Houz fire tragedy claimed 17 lives, the state government has set up a six-member committee of IAS and IPS officers to probe the incident and suggest ways to prevent such incidents in future, but the biggest challenge for the committee is to suggest measures to prevent such mishaps in the old areas of the city. The ‘old city’, famous for buildings built 50 to 60 years ago or even more, has seen a rise in fire incidents in recent times. “There are several issues here, like hanging electric wires in commercial complexes, high tension power lines passing overhead, narrow lanes leading to high-rise buildings and chaotic traffic and haphazard parking of vehicles, violation of building rules and heritage structures, which need to be dealt with. The biggest task is to take the locals into confidence,” said social activist SQ Masood. Fire officials admitted that chaotic traffic, narrow roads and labyrinthine lanes sometimes lead to delays in reaching the spot. When they finally reach there, there is no proper access to douse the fire. “Earlier, there were no guidelines for keeping setbacks for buildings. So you will find a row of buildings here with no space in between. One has to climb over a building to douse a fire in a neighbouring house or the one behind it,” said a fire department official. The old city has the city’s major markets, and disrupting businesses will attract criticism from the community. “There are shops on the ground and first floors, and residential flats on the remaining upper floors. In some areas, old structures in narrow lanes made way for multi-storey buildings, and hardly any auto rickshaw can pass through them. Many commercial complexes in Pathergatti, Rikabganj have electric wires hanging overhead,” said Mohammed Akram, a social activist. He said when an agency tries to streamline things, local builders and trade associations run to politicians for help. RTI activist MA Karim Ansari said local officials turn a blind eye to various violations after reaping benefits in some way or the other. “Many a times, local leaders convince the officials to keep quiet and let the matter drop,” he said.
Many old structures
Many houses built during the Nizam era had large open premises, in which new buildings were constructed. Old residential areas have now become dense. The buildings have old narrow, circular staircases leading from the middle of the house. “During the Nizam era, the construction was quite different from today’s design. So we cannot blame the current residents for this. The government should come up with a strategy to deal with this problem,” said Mohammad Safiullah, a heritage activist. Areas like Feelkhana, Begum Bazar, Siddiamber Bazar, Osmanganj, Risala Abdullah, Sultan Bazar, Devan Devdi, Madina Building, Chatta Bazar, Rikabganj, Ghansi Bazar, Chelapura, Shahran Market, Panjshah have many shops in commercial cum residential complexes.
Six-member committee to study topography of areas
The six-member committee constituted by the government comprises GHMC commissioner RV Karnan, Hyderabad district collector Anudeep Durishetty, Hyderabad police commissioner CV Anand, fire services DG Nagi Reddy, Hydra commissioner AV Ranganath and Telangana Southern Power Distribution Company Limited chairman and MD Musharraf Ali Farooqui as its members. A senior IPS officer who is part of the government-appointed committee said they will visit and study the topography of areas, fire safety measures, firefighting resources available in the neighbourhood and other aspects. “We will visit other cities where old heritage structures and dwellings exist, and study the measures initiated by the local municipal and fire authorities there. We will also ask the state government to make necessary amendments in the Fire Safety Act,” the official said.
