Hyderabad: Telangana high court chief justice Alok Aradhe and justice N V Shravan Kumar have instructed the state government to inform the court within four weeks about the actions taken to safeguard the historic Hill Fort Palace (Ritz Hotel).
During a hearing of a public interest litigation (PIL), Justice Alok Aradhe inquired about the measures being implemented by the government to safeguard the structure, considering it is part of the cultural heritage.
Previously, the government had enlisted the support of the National Academy of Construction and teams of professors from IIT Hyderabad and NIT Warangal, who, while inspecting the Hill Fort Palace, found it to be in a deteriorated state. They warned that if immediate renovations or preservation efforts were not undertaken, the building could suffer severe damage.
Following this report, the Telangana high court had urged the government to take immediate steps to protect the Hill Fort Palace Ritz Hotel and to inform the court about the decisions taken to safeguard this cultural heritage.
During the court proceedings, Special Counsel for the Government, Harendra Prasad, informed the court that a committee had been formed by the state government under the supervision of the Commissioner of Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation.
This committee is scheduled to meet on September 14 to make a final decision regarding the preservation of The Hill Fort Palace. Prasad assured that the government would promptly convey the decision to both the court and the public.
The public interest litigation (PIL) was filed in the Telangana High Court to draw attention to the state government’s alleged neglect of the Hill Fort Palace, which was at risk of demolition, and to seek protection for the historic building.
