23 Trees Removed at Begumpet's Paigah Palace for Underground Parking

The historic Paigah Palace at Begumpet in Hyderabad has lost a portion of its greenery following the removal of 23 trees to make way for a three-level underground parking facility. The Hyderabad Metropolitan Development Authority (HMDA) initiated the project on the palace premises to cater to employees and visitors as the authority prepares to move its headquarters to the heritage site.

Officials from the HMDA Urban Forestry wing visited Paigah Palace on Wednesday to remove the trees for translocation to Sanjeevaiah Park. The removed vegetation includes neem, mango, and other species that are nearly two decades old, having been planted when the US Consulate office functioned from the palace.

Because the full-sized trees could not be transported easily through busy city roads, their branches were pruned on-site at Paigah Palace prior to moving. The trees are scheduled to be translocated to the grounds of Sanjeevaiah Park within a day or two.

The multi-level underground parking facility is being constructed as the HMDA prepares to permanently shift its offices from the Swarnajayanthi Complex in Ameerpet to Paigah Palace in a few months. Renovation works across the historic building and its surrounding premises are currently nearing completion.

Paigah Palace was originally built by Sir Vicar-ul-Umra, a prominent Paigah nobleman. The historic structure is known for its high ceilings, measuring 22 feet on the ground floor and 26 feet on the first floor, and contains four large halls along with more than 20 spacious rooms.

The central section of the palace features rectangular vents at the top resembling a chimney, designed to function like an exhaust fan to bring in sunlight and fresh air. The entrances to the rooms feature large double doors with stucco work reflecting the facade, crowned by an entablature and pediments with intricate detailing. Floral patterns line the upper borders of the walls across both floors. In 1999, a four-storey modern annex building was added to the rear side of the palace.