Hyderabad, Sep 28 (IANS): Industrial houses have come forward to restore and preserve the ancient stepwells in Hyderabad and promote them as tourist spots.
Telangana's Tourism Department signed an agreement with the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) in this regard on Friday.
The agreement was signed in the presence of Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy and Tourism Minister Jupally Krishna Rao.
According to an official release, Infosys has taken responsibility for the renovation of the Mahalaka stepwell at Osmania University.
Sai Life adopted Manchirevula stepwell while Bharat Biotech will restore the Salar Jung and Ammapalli wells.
Adikmet stepwell will be renovated by Dodla Dairy while Falaknuma stepwell will be restored by Telangana State Road Transport Corporation. Koti Women's College will restore the Residency stepwell.
Speaking on the occasion, the Chief Minister said that the historic buildings located along the Musi River will be developed as tourist spots.
He appealed to the industrialists to come forward for the preservation of buildings that reflect the culture of Hyderabad.
The CM said that the government is committed to promoting the tourism sector along with making Telangana a welfare state.
Revanth Reddy said that the government has taken up the Musi Riverfront development project ambitiously.
He criticised the previous government for neglecting the numerous historical buildings which have reached the dilapidated stage.
The Chief Minister said the state government has taken up the renovation of the Old Assembly building and the state Legislative Council will be shifted to the renovated building soon.
The famous Jubilee Hall, which is currently being used for the Legislative Council, has historical significance.
The CM observed that the building was built with special technology, and it needs to be preserved in the future. He suggested CII adopt and preserve the historical Jubilee Hall.
The Chief Minister said preservation of the old Osmania Hospital was also being taken up and a new building for the hospital will be constructed at Goshamahal Stadium soon.
He emphasised the need for protection of the High Court building. He mentioned that the government has already allocated 100 acres of land for the construction of a new High Court building at Rajendra Nagar.
There is also a need to preserve historical structures like Puranapool along with the Hyderabad City College building, the CM said, adding the Charminar conservation project was already under progress.
The Chief Minister also stated that students studying in government schools are being provided an opportunity to visit tourist and historical places in the state free of cost.
For this, the government launched the Telangana Darshini program and a government order has already been issued.