Hyderabad: Two days after a part of a lime stucco on one of the four minarets of Charminar got detached and fell off, Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) has begun the preparation for repairing the historic monument.
According to a media report, the preliminary work of putting up scaffoldings to reach the top was expected to begin today or tomorrow. Inspection and basic work have already begun.
The superintending archaeologist’s (under whose tenure the conservation work of the monument in 2001 and 2010 began) view of the work was taken. Based on official report, as lime longer takes time to set than cement, the repair work was expected to take around two months.
Talking about the damage, an official has been quoted saying that piece of the lime stucco work probably got detached from the granite slab as it could not stick properly with the previous one and fell off. “It was a small piece, a part of the stucco on the minaret. It fell down Wednesday night within the premises only.”
It is notable that a few years ago, the ASI had taken up the conservation of the four towering minarets of the monument that was built in 1591 by Muhammad Quli Qutb Shah, the fifth ruler of the Qutb Shahi dynasty and also the founder of Hyderabad city.