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

Historic Paigah Palace at Begumpet in Hyderabad has lost a portion of its greenery following the removal of 23 trees to construct a multi-level underground parking facility on the premises.

The Hyderabad Metropolitan Development Authority (HMDA) is developing a three-level underground parking facility at the site. To facilitate the project, HMDA approached its Urban Forestry wing to translocate the trees to Sanjeevaiah Park.

Officials visited the Paigah Palace premises on Wednesday to carry out the tree removal work. The 23 trees removed from the site include neem, mango, and other species. The trees, which are nearly two decades old, were planted during the period when the US Consulate office functioned from the Paigah Palace premises.

Due to heavy traffic and transit constraints along the city's busy roads, the branches of the removed trees were pruned on site at Paigah Palace. Officials stated that the trees would be moved to the premises of Sanjeevaiah Park within a day or two for translocation.

HMDA proposed the underground parking facility to accommodate office employees and visitors as the authority prepares to permanently relocate its offices from the Swarnajayanthi Complex in Ameerpet to Paigah Palace within a few months. Renovation works in and around the historic palace building are currently near completion.

Constructed by Sir Vicar-ul-Umra, a prominent Paigah nobleman, the historic Paigah Palace features four large halls, more than 20 spacious rooms, and ceilings reaching 22 feet on the ground floor and 26 feet on the first floor. A modern four-storey annex building was previously constructed on the rear side of the palace in 1999.