GHMC gets cracking on Puranapul bridge works

Hyderabad: After being neglected for years, the city's oldest bridge, Puranapul, is all set to gain its past glory as part of the project undertaken by the Municipal Administration and Urban Development (MA&UD) department. The historic Puranapul has been in a pitiful condition for years, with promises of restoring it remaining unfulfilled. It developed several cracks after heavy rains in recent years.

According to officials, Special Chief Secretary MA&UD Arvind Kumar has instructed them to take up the repair works of the bridge. Encroachments surrounding the structure are being removed and conservation efforts have been undertaken. "For the restoration work, clearing of wild trees has been started. Soon encroachments will be removed. The proper planning of the hawker area will be initiated. We requested the hawkers to cooperate for the restoration work," said a GHMC official.

The civic body officials, along with the police, asked hawkers to remove their encroachments. However, they resisted the move and protested. Following the protest, the officials could clear only a few encroachments on the bridge. Hawkers said they were doing business on the bridge for several years. They urged officials to provide alternative space for their business. They said they also have identity cards issued by the GHMC. Many sell fruits, vegetables, betel leaves (paan), flowers and household items.

It has been observed that hawkers of Puranapul dispose of organic and inorganic waste into the Musi river adding to increasing pollutants. Vegetables and other waste can be seen choking the water flow and encouraging swamping of all kinds of stray animals below the bridge.  The hawkers find it easy to dump waste into the Musi which is known for high pollution levels. If one sees below the bridge, where the market is situated, the river is inundated with vegetable and fruit waste. Even top of the bridge is filled with waste.

According to the Archaeology department, the bridge was built in 1578 by Ibrahim Qutb Shah. It was actually called 'Pyarana Pul' (loving bridge) and later became purana pul (old bridge) long back. During the Nizam's era, Sikandar Jah reconstructed the bridge, along with the Puranapul Darwaza, after the 1820 floods. The bridge was again repaired during the reign of Mahboob Ali Khan after the 1908 floods. It has 22 arches and is 600 ft long, 35 ft wide and 54 ft above the Musi river.