Nizam VIII last rites with State honours today; KCR pays tributes

Hyderabad: The State government is to bestow the titular VIII Nizam of Hyderabad, Nizam Mir Barkat Ali Khan 'Mukarram Jah Bahadur' funeral with full State honors on Wednesday. Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao offered condolences to the family of Mukarram Jah Bahadur who died at the age of 89 in Istanbul (Turkey). KCR offered floral tributes to the mortal remains on Tuesday at Chowmahalla Palace, near Charminar.

Mukarram Jah was the heir to the erstwhile princely State of Hyderabad. He was the grandson of the last reigning Nizam of Hyderabad, Mir Osman Ali Khan. His mortal remains was brought here in a special chartered aircraft from Istanbul in the evening. It was shifted to Chowmahalla Palace and kept in the Durbar Mahal.

Lauding Jah's services, KCR conveyed his deepest sympathies to the family members. He prayed to the almighty that the soul of the late Nizam rests in peace.

Ministers Mohammed Mahmood Ali, Vemula Prashant Reddy, MP Joginapally Santosh Kumar, MLAs Balka Suman, A Jeevan Reddy accompanied KCR. Later, AIMIM chief and Hyderabad MP Asaduddin Owaisi visited and paid last respects to the mortal remains. The family members, trustees of various trusts linked to the Nizam's family, ministers, MLAs and other dignitaries also paid their last respects.

The Namaz-e-Janaza will be held after Namaz-e-Asar. The body will be later taken to the Asaf Jahi dynasty graves in Mecca Masjid. The body will be moved in a palanquin. It will be buried beside the grave of his father Mir Himayat Ali Khan Azam Jah Bahadur, father of Mukarram Jah and the eldest son of VII Nizam Mir Osman Ali Khan.

Elaborate arrangements were made in the Chowmahalla Palace by the administration, as thousands of people are expected to have a glimpse between 8 am and 1 pm on Wednesday. At around 3.30 pm, the funeral procession will start from the palace to the historic Mecca Masjid.

Traffic restrictions

The police imposed traffic restrictions on funeral procession on Wednesday in surrounding areas. At Volga Junction traffic coming from Himmatpura will not be allowed towards Khilwat and will be diverted towards Fateh Darwaza and Himmatpura. At Murgi Chowk Junction traffic coming from Moosa Bowli and Chelapura will not be allowed towards Motigalli and will be diverted towards Chelapura and Moosa Bowli.

At Women Police Station, Chelapura, traffic coming from Mitti Ka Sher will not be allowed towards Murgi Chowk and will be diverted towards Ghasi Bazar and Chelapura. At Mitti Ka Sher traffic coming from Gulzar House and Urdu Galli will not be allowed towards Chelapura and will be diverted towards Bhagwan Devi Hospital and Ghansi Bazar.

At Moosa Bowli Junction traffic coming from City College and Pardiwada will not be allowed towards Murgi Chowk and will be diverted towards Puranapool and City College.

At Himmatpura Junction (if necessary) traffic coming from Falaknuma and Bela will not be allowed towards Panch Mohalla and will be diverted towards Falaknuma, Bela and Fateh Darwaza.

The police requested commuters to take alternate routes to reach their destinations and cooperate with the traffic wing.