Hyderabad: Pollution, pigeons’ droppings and other issues call urgent action from Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) to undertake Charminar’s ground floor restoration work without further delay.
A thick layer of pigeons’ droppings and other pollutants formed at the outer façade, arches and elsewhere of the this 426 old iconic historical structure. Its restoration needs to clean these droppings and pollutants from the outer surfaces with water and sandpaper.
Sources said that the pigeons’ droppings contain chemicals which is harmful to the lime plaster. So is the case with the pollution around this world-renowned tourist attraction.
Pigeons’ droppings is not a new issue for the heritage structures. During the renovation work of Mauzam Jahi Market in 2019, about 500 pigeons were caught by GHMC.
After a portion of the stucco falling off from one of the Minaret of the structure, the ASI officials carried out an inspection of its chunks and found that the lime portion of the stucco contains a black layer of pollutants. The officials squarely blamed the pollution in the old city for this damage.
The surfaces of the structure have cavities which need to be filled with a mix of lime, sand, jaggery and coir jute fibre by the expert masons. The ASI also needs to pay attention to the stucco designs at the ground floor areas. The restoration work of Charminar must be a continuous process which must unceasingly continue year after year to preserve this historical monument. A temple abutting south-east portion of the structure may be deterring the ASI to undertake the ground floor’s restoration work.
