Like many cities in India today, the historical city of Hyderabad also faces the threat of erasure of its past through the demolition of heritage structures. Famous monuments that attract tourists, like the Charminar, are considered worthy enough to be preserved but other important structures often face the axe over questions of utility. The Osmania General Hospital (OGH) is a perfect example. The Telangana government wants to demolish its original structure and build a new one in its place. While demands for a new public healthcare building are justified due to infrastructural issues bogging OGH over the years, whether it should come at the cost of demolishing an important historical site is at the heart of the ongoing issue.
Some doctors have been vocal about the need to demolish OGH and have a new building in its place, alarming heritage activists from Hyderabad, who point out that pulling down the old building is akin to erasing part of Hyderabad’s past. In this case, OGH is certainly an important building that represents the city’s medical history, and its demolition may have far-reaching consequences that may open up the door to more such instances in the near future. The hospital has a key link to the natural calamity that destroyed Hyderabad in 1908. The capital of Telangana was once the capital of the erstwhile princely state of Hyderabad under its Nizams and was modernised rapidly in a few decades before independence. To understand OGH’s relevance to that epoch and the city’s heritage, a look at the city’s history in the first half of the 20th century is required.
When Hyderabad was founded in 1591 by Mohammed Quli Qutb Shah of the Golconda empire (1518-1687), it was specifically built on the southern bank of the Musi river for access to water. The Qutb Shahi king decided to move out of the historic Golconda fort, which had become congested. But the river had a mind of its own and flooded the city quite a few times throughout history. History books tell us that a part of the Delhi army was washed away by the river due to heavy rains during the last siege of Hyderabad when the city was destroyed and conquered by the Mughal king Aurangzeb in 1687. Hyderabad was soon after merged into Mughal territory and the Nizams of Hyderabad were appointed as governors of the Deccan (1724-1948).
But nothing would have prepared Hyderabad’s people and its ruler for what was to come at the end of September 1908. As it began raining on September 28, alarm bells in the Hyderabad administration began ringing after 12.8 inches of rain was recorded in the first 24 hours at the Shamshabad rain-gauge station on the city’s outskirts.
Within 48 hours, the recorded rainfall touched a staggering 18.90 inches as about 220 out of 770-odd small and big water tanks were breached and caused devastating floods. The ensuing flooding is believed to have caused 15,000 deaths and the destruction of 65,000 buildings, according to unofficial estimates. It is possibly the most tragic calamity in Hyderabad’s recorded history.
A watercolour render or visualisation of OGH by Vincent Esch before its construction. (Image: MIT Archives)
For comparison, continuous showers of 100 millimetres or almost four inches of rainfall today can flood Indian cities.
One of the many buildings destroyed in those floods was the Afzalgunj Hospital, which stood on the Musi river’s northern bank. While the structure was damaged, a huge banyan tree saved the lives of about 150 people who climbed atop it for safety. The tree stands to this day and a board hangs on it as a reminder of what happened in 1908.
More importantly, Osmania General Hospital would eventually replace the destroyed Afzalgunj hospital just a few decades later as the city would undergo an urban makeover of sorts.
The 1908 flood happened during the reign of Hyderabad’s sixth Nizam Mahbub Ali Pasha (1869-1911). It is remembered today through the many ‘High Flood Level’ markers, which the then government managed to install to measure the height of flood water. The sixth Nizam died in 1911, and it was the seventh and last Nizam Osman Ali Khan (1911-48), who eventually undertook steps to ensure that the city was floodproofed.
Osman Ali Khan was the monarch of one of India’s largest princely states. The erstwhile Hyderabad state during his time had a population of 1.6 crore people and 16 districts. Eight comprised Telangana, five were in Maharashtra and three in Karnataka. The state generated a majority of its revenues from farming taxes and levies through state-appointed landlords called Jagirdars in districts. Though feudal oppression was rampant, especially in Telangana, there is also no doubt that the Nizam can be credited with modernising Hyderabad.
Hyderabad was entirely redesigned with new modern buildings by the City Improvement Board (CIB) set up in 1912. The last Nizam also roped in the services of the legendary engineer Sir Visvesvaraya, who suggested that two dams be created outside the city to stop water from entering Musi river.
Through the CIB, about Rs 30 lakh was spent on building 2,500 houses in 12 localities between 1912 and 1940. The houses were classified under A, B, C, and D classes (with each differing in size and amenities). The then government had the foresight of maintaining sanitation in the newly-constructed homes, which were designed with toilets, verandas and kitchens.
Archival images show a huge change in the redevelopment of Hyderabad through the CIB during this time. Government records show that out of the Rs 50.85 lakh spent to develop civic amenities, Rs 14,36,565 was used for slum clearance, constructing and improving traffic roads, constructing drains, and other miscellaneous works.
Some of the city’s most well-known landmarks, including OGH, were built during this period of modernisation. The Hyderabad High Court, Government City College, Moazzam Jahi Market, Osmania Hospital and Kachiguda Railways Station are all in use even today and were built by the last Nizam. The High Court stands just opposite OGH, and both buildings have a similar design outline.
Though nothing of the Afzalgunj Hospital remains today, it is an important landmark in Hyderabad’s medical history. In 1888, the Chloroform Commission was set up in the Afzalgunj Hospital to study the use of the chemical as an anaesthetic to treat patients.
Two commissions were set up to examine the dangers. The first one was appointed in 1888 and was applied for by Surgeon-Major E Lawrie, Residency Surgeon, Hyderabad. The commission experimented upon dogs to show that in death caused by chloroform “the respiration always stops before the heart.” The second Commission was set up to experiment further.
The first Commission’s report concluded, “that chloroform may be given to dogs by inhalation with perfect safety, and without any fear of accidental death, if only the respiration, and nothing but the respiration, is carefully attended to throughout.” This report was also eventually published in The Lancet and was globally one of the most important medical experiments of its time.
During Hyderabad’s modernisation, the Afzalgunj Hospital was entirely demolished. In its place, OGH was constructed and completed by 1926. The towering Indo-Saracenic structure with its imposing hallways and huge circular dome was designed by the British architect Jerome Vincent Esch. Considered a modern and advanced healthcare centre for its time, OGH provided free public healthcare.
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(Photo: Yunus Y Lasania)
The High Court and OGH buildings, built on the southern and northern banks of the Musi river, make for a very majestic view of the Old City’s skyline in Hyderabad. A huge banyan tree in OGH that saved the lives of about 150 people during the 1908 floods is another reminder of what the city went through that year.
It is due to this rich history of OGH that activists do not want to see its original building gone. The issue has taken centre stage after the state government in an ongoing case for its demolition submitted to the court its plans to construct a newer building in its place. Making the case for demolition is the poor upkeep and lack of repairs in the 26-acre premises. Over the years, the place has flooded several times and the roof has collapsed.
“If you look at Prime Minister Narendra Modi's decision to make the new Central Vista, whether you agree or not, he wants to erase the memory of the British or even the Mughals. We may not agree with him, but there is clarity about what they want to do. Here, I do not understand where the decision to demolish is coming from,” said Srinivas Murthy, a Hyderabad-based architect and design consultant. He added that the new Telangana Secretariat building constructed by the state government led by Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao (KCR) also was designed to look like a historical monument. “It means somewhere you like the style of a feudal lord. If that's the case, I was hoping he would save OGH,” Murthy stated.
For the first time, OGH faces a real threat of being demolished. OMC students have been some of the biggest voices calling for its demolition as they have faced problems due to a lack of repairs. After Telangana’s formation in 2014, KCR visited the hospital in 2015 and drew the ire of activists when he spoke of demolishing the old building. Soon after, experts from the Indian National Trust for Arts and Cultural Heritage (INTACH) were called, and a detailed report about OGH’s structural stability was given.
The INTACH report concluded that the heritage building should be restored based on heritage conservation principles. In 2019, government officials and the Aga Khan Trust for Culture (AKTC) also inspected OGH for restoration. The AKTC has been restoring the historic 106-acre Qutb Shahi tombs complex, one of the best heritage sites in Hyderabad today.
“I was among the people from INTACH who inspected OGH and another report from the Jawaharlal Nehru Technological University (JNTU) was also issued. JNTU experts differed on many points, but both the reports said that the building was repairable,” Srinivas Murthy recalled.
(Photo: Yunus Y Lasania)
OGH was in the news again in 2020 when rainwater inundated its ground floor, after which the state government shut it down and transferred patients to other buildings on the premises. It was later found that a clogged drain had caused the flooding. No flooding has been reported after that.
The issue eventually landed in the Telangana High Court, where the case is still ongoing. It may also be recalled that KCR tried to demolish the historic Irrum Manzil palace in Hyderabad to build a new secretariat, but was stopped by the High Court in 2019. Activists are hoping for a similar ruling.
“If you have mild chest pain today, a doctor will ask you to take care. If you ignore that advice, naturally the disease becomes much bigger. I feel there is a policy to decay old heritage buildings to make a case that it is hazardous. To argue that they don't have life, I don't agree. The structure is very robust. If you look at the damage, it is only taking place on the roof that has issues,” Srinivas Murthy told TNM.
In the ongoing case in the Telangana High Court, Health Secretary SAM Rizvi told the court that 21.75 lakh square feet of built-up area along with 4.84 lakh square feet is needed for residential quarters for postgraduate students, including 5.85 lakh square feet for multi-level parking and 2.66 lakh square feet for oxygen tank, mortuary and electric substation services. He essentially made the case for OGH’s demolition to construct a new hospital building.
The government’s affidavit shocked many, as just last year Hyderabad Lok Sabha MP and All India Majilis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) chief Asaduddin Owaisi had announced that the heritage structure would be restored alongside the construction of a new hospital building.“The hospital is built on a 26-acre site, and the heritage building takes up only three acres. There is a lot of open space as well. We are not saying that a new hospital should not be built, but that the site should be repurposed. The heritage building should not be demolished as it has immense cultural significance. It was the biggest hospital in the Deccan area, and no other buildings near the river have such imposing skylines,” said Mohammed Sibghatullah Khan, a Hyderabad-based architect who archives the city’s history through his Instagram page Deccan Archive.
The issue of OGH being in a bad state and lacking infrastructure is not recent and has been a problem for at least over a decade. Activists have been calling for its restoration and blame the state government for purposely letting it decay over the years due to neglect.
“A lot of money was sanctioned in the past under different governments for its maintenance. Where has all that money gone? If this is the case, then will Telangana High Court judges be alright if we call for the demolition of their structure as well? Keeping this heritage structure is not going to harm anyone. Three acres out of 26 is hardly an issue. Let them first construct a new building and then see if there is a lack of space,” remarked a heritage activist, who requested anonymity.
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(Photo: Yunus Y Lasania)
Past students of OMC appreciate its heritage but believe it needs to go. “In the last 10 years, all OMC students have faced problems while studying at OGH. Almost every corner or room has patches of roof that have collapsed over the years. They make temporary repairs, but in the rainy season, these issues worsen. There is always a heavy influx of patients and if we need to provide better services, then we need better maintenance of the building as well,” said Dr Kadali Vishni, who passed out from OMC in 2014 and worked in OGH during his MBBS course.
Srinivas Murthy also said it was surprising that Owasi had backtracked on his words on conserving the OGH’s heritage structure. “The equally important question to ask is how Owaisi is supporting this. Since Old Hyderabad has not been given much preference in government policies, AIMIM wants to show it is building something new. We need to see it from their lens that good infrastructure is also coming up on that side,” he ascertained.
The architect also said that old buildings like OGH are a huge repository of technical knowledge in construction or architecture. “We have reached a stage where activism is not bringing any fruit. We have to go to the court for every small thing. These monuments were built 100 years ago using the least available technology and are important,” Murthy added.
The latest affidavit of the Telangana government indicates that OGH will be demolished if the green signal is given. Interestingly in May, the High Court also took cognisance of a demolition order pertaining to the Zenana Hospital, another heritage site on the premises, and stayed the action. Similarly, the Government City College, built around the same time as OGH, was also restored in 2022. With the state government intent on dismantling the old structure, all eyes are on the Telangana High Court judgement.