The neglected iconic “Mississippi Hanger” bus shelter in Gowliguda also known as City Bus Station (CBS), a rich heritage structure from the Nizam era, collapsed on the morning of Thursday, 5 July.
The incident occurred at around 6.20 am; no one was injured, as the authorities had evacuated the premises on 30 June as a precautionary measure, after one portion of the roof fell down a day earlier.
According to heritage experts, the Hanger was imported from Butler Manufacturing Company, USA in the 1930s which served as a first bus depot of the Nizam’s Road Transport Department. It was the first prefabricated structure to be installed in Hyderabad, which was eventually converted into a bus station near the Mahatma Gandhi Bus Station, Afzalgunj.
Learning that the structure was vulnerable and posed a danger, the Telangana State Road Transport Coporation (TSRTC) authorities abandoned it, and suspended bus services from CBS since 30 June. They also evacuated the shops located inside the bus station.
According to officials, initially the front portion of the structure collapsed, and within minutes, the entire structure crumbled down.
After learning about the incident, TSRTC in-charge Managing Director Sunil Sharma and other officials rushed to the spot to take stock of the situation.
Speaking to TNM, TSRTC Greater Hyderabad zone Executive Director Purushottam Reddy said, “There were no injuries and casualties as we had cordoned off the premises on June 30, as the shelter was extremely vulnerable.”
He however, refused to answer whether the iconic structure could have been renovated.
According to the ED, the bus station provided 2,000 bus trips every day to several parts of the city.
(Published in an arrangement with The News Minute.)
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