Hyderabad: Telangana Pradesh Congress Committee (TPCC) President and Nalgonda MP Capt. N. Uttam Kumar Reddy on Saturday demanded that the State Government preserve the heritage building of Osmania General Hospital and construct a modern world-class hospital on the adjacent six acres of open land on the same premises.
Accompanied with Hyderabad City Congress president M. Anjan Kumar Yadav, Nampally Incharge Feroz Khan and other leaders, Uttam Kumar Reddy visited the Osmania Hospital at Afzalgunj. He went around the OGH building and had an interaction with the officials.
Speaking to media persons later, Uttam Kumar Reddy blamed the negligent attitude of Chief Minister K. Chandrashekhar Rao for the present condition of OGH building. He said the 95-year-old hospital was well maintained till 2014. After the TRS came to power, the first thing CM KCR suggested was the demolition of the OGH building. “CM KCR did not spend even Rs. 7 for the maintenance of OGH in the last seven years. Now he is citing its dilapidated condition as the reason for demolition. We will not allow KCR to erase the rich medical heritage of Hyderabad,” he announced.
Uttam Kumar Reddy alleged that CM KCR was brutally attacking the rich heritage and culture of Hyderabad. He said Osmania Hospital represents the modern medical education in Hyderabad which began in the mid 19th century with the founding of the Hyderabad Medical School with Afzal Gunj Hospital serving as a teaching hospital. He said Hyderabad Medical School was later renamed as the Osmania Medical College and Afzal Gunj Hospital was renamed as Osmania General Hospital when the present structure was constructed in the year 1925.
The TPCC Chief pointed out the technical assessment done by Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage (INTACH) in the recent past led to the conclusion that the heritage block of the hospital was structurally stable. The visible damage was mostly on the surface of the building and is reparable. He said most of the damage was due to poor maintenance and leaking pipes. He alleged that CM KCR was using the recent entering of stormwater into OGH premises as the base to demolish the heritage building.
Uttam Kumar Reddy said Osmania General Hospital was one of the biggest hospitals in Telangana catering to nearly eight lakh out-patients and over 60,000 in-patients every year, besides being a teaching facility. He demanded that the State Government construct a new modern world-class hospital in the open land in OGH premises without touching the heritage buildings. Further, he said that the State Government should engage a team of experts to restore and repair the OGH heritage block. “When a more than 400-year-old Qutub Shahi Tombs could be restored, why is it not possible to restore the 75-year-old OGH building?” he asked.
The TPCC Chief warned of dire consequences if the State Government attempts to demolish the Osmania Hospital building.
“TPCC Chief blames KCR Govt community spread of COVID-19”
Uttam Kumar Reddy blamed the inefficiency of KCR Government in handling the corona situation in Telangana State which resulted in the community spread of the deadly virus. He said that the confession by Director of Public Health Dr. G. Srinivas Rao that community transmission of Coronavirus has started in Hyderabad has exposed the hollow claims made by KCR Govt on handling COVID-19 situation. However, within an hour after Dr. Srinivas Rao’s statement, Health Minister Etala Rajender contradicted the claim. He said it was highly unfortunate that the Health Minister and Director of Public Health were contradicting each other on community transmission of the virus. This clearly shows the chaotic situation in Telangana State, he said.
The TPCC Chief appealed to the people to stay cautious and take all precautionary measures to protect themselves from the virus. “KCR Government is not concerned about saving people’s lives. Therefore, people need to be extra cautious in the ongoing battle against Coronavirus,” he advised.