Hyderabad: Authorities at the Victoria Memorial Home Residential School have raised concerns over lack of funds for a new building to establish a girls’ school in the premises. The institution currently caters to 937 children, and is funded by the Socially and Educationally Backward Classes (SCDD).
The Victoria Memorial Home in Hyderabad received funds worth 8.5 crore for the 2023-24 and according to the school authorities, the estimated cost of the new institution is Rs 18 crore. A proposal for the same was submitted to the Telangana government five years ago. However, there has been hardly any progress on it, said authorities from the school.
Established in 1903 by the sixth Nizam of Hyderabad Mir Mahaboob Ali Khan (1869-1911), the Victoria Memorial in Saroornagar is spread over more than 70 acres of land. The site was inaugurated on February 14 1905 and was named ‘Victoria Memorial Orphanage.’ However, in 1953 the structure was renamed ‘Victoria Memorial Home’ following a request by the then Prime Minister Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru.
Addressing the issue, the school’s Superintendent of Victoria Memorial Home Lakshmi Parvathi said, “The land for the school was donated by the sixth Nizam with an objective to provide quality education to the orphaned. In 1994, the government converted the building into a residential school.”
Currently the sprawling property in Hyderabad is divided into three portions – the main building is spread on 43 acres, 17 acres of land lie on the other side of the national highway and 6.9 acres in NTR Nagar. Lakshmi stressed that the girl’s section was constructed 10 years ago, but that it is not sufficient. She added that the school requires a new dormitory for boys along with the new building for the school.
Ensuring security of the property in the heart of Hyderabad is also major challenge since it spread over vast land. Victoria Memorial Home authorities also raised concerns over security stating that the absence of the compound wall allows people in the vicinity to venture into the premises and roam about freely. Some visitors also allegedly indulge in drugs, putting children at risk.
While most of the building remains intact, the arch opposite the school library is filled with fungus due to seepage of rain water. Addressing the issue, INTACH Hyderabad Convener, Anuradha Reddy said, ” Every building needs to be maintained, the water pipelines have to be kept clean if that done, the building won’t be harmed.”
“I would be very happy, if the building is properly restored under the supervision of a contractor who would take up the restoration with materials used in the original structure,” she added. In 2017, there were reports suggesting some part of the Victoria Memorial Home would be used for setting up a 500-bed hospital or for a office off the Rachakonda Commissionerate in Hyderabad. However, the Telangana high court intervened and denied permission for either.
In 2023, the then special chief secretary Arvind Kumar for municipal administration and urban development department visited the historical monument. He had announced that the structure would be restored at an estimated cost of Rs 12 crore, but nothing has happened on that front since.
