Hyderabad: After the restoration of the James Street Police Station, work on the 125-year-old commissioner’s office at Purani Haveli, also known as Kotwal Balda, has been completed. The restored building will be handed over to the police on Wednesday. It had not been in use for over half a decade.In 2023, Hyderabad police commissioner C.V. Anand signed an agreement with Mir Khan, chief conservator of Deccan Terrain Heritage, a specialised heritage conservation and restoration company, for the conservation of the Kotwal office. Anil Kumar from the Greenko Group provided `2.6 crore under a CSR initiative for the revival of the heritage building.The building premises were donated by the sixth Nizam, Mir Mahbub Ali Khan. The Kotwal office is built in colonial-style architecture, spread over 4,500 square feet, using stone and lime masonry. The doorways and windows have stone arches.Deccan Terrain Heritage’s chief conservator Mir Khan said the terrace plaster was damaged, and water was leaking due to constant moisture; the wooden beams had weakened.“We have done terrace waterproofing, replaced deteriorated wooden beams, and restored the structural arches and load-bearing walls that were damaged in places. Since it is a heritage building, lime mortar was used and three coats of plaster were applied.”The restored building includes a CP cabin, a waiting room, a conference room, and a DCP office.Deccan Terrain Heritage is also working on projects aimed at incorporating heritage art into urban landscapes near city junctions. “We have started three projects at Mehdipatnam and Masab Tank, including a Moroccan-style fountain and the installation of a pearl at Masab Tank, symbolising Hyderabad’s identity as the City of Pearls,” said Khan.Some notable restoration works completed by Deccan Terrain Heritage include the restoration of Mecca Masjid, Moula Ali Kaman, Bansilal Stepwell, the Manmool Stone Castle at ICRISAT, Qutb Shahi Masjid at Langar Houz, the 18th-century Gulzar Houz Fountain, and the recently restored James Street Police Station.Deccan Heritage has also completed a mock-up of Lad Bazaar and is awaiting tender approval to transform the rest of the area, including 270 shops, to its traditional look.The restoration work is underway at the heavily decorated Afzalgunj Jama Masjid, in collaboration with the Department of Heritage. Restoration of the Nizamia Unani Tibbi Hospital will begin once the premises are vacated, where construction of other college buildings is in progress.
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