The Charminar. Picture by G Vijayalakshmi

Hyderabad, March 12: Hyderabad’s most famous landmark was in the making for four years. Repairing a tiny patch on it is taking over a month.

Work has started on fixing one of the Charminar’s four minarets after a decorative chunk came off and fell following heavy rain during Ramazan over seven months ago, reinforcing heritage campaigners’ case that vehicular and noise pollution had weakened the 420-year-old structure.

But the build-up to the repair seems as daunting and elaborate as the actual job itself. A 45-foot high scaffolding has been erected by the Archeological Society of India (ASI), responsible for the upkeep of the monument, to reach the third-floor balcony of the 160-feet high minaret.

The actual repair job, said conservation assistant, will not take more than a few days as the damaged portion, part of a stucco floral decoration on the minaret, is only around two-feet wide. But almost a month has been spent just on getting the scaffolding in place.

“It was a hard task carrying the planks and bamboo poles all the way up without damaging the monument’s walls,” said A. Rasheed Khan, the conservation assistant.

The ASI has procured special safety belts for the artisans who will work on the minaret. A Manila rope — made from the leaves of abacá that mostly grows in the Philippines and is known to be very flexible and resistant to water damage — has been used to fasten the scaffolding.

Craftsmen from Thanjavur and Chennai in Tamil Nadu, experts in stucco jobs, have been brought in. When Sultan Muhammad Quli Qutb Shah, the fifth ruler of the Qutb Shahi dynasty built the Charminar in 1591, he had Persian artists and Iranian slaves among the labourers.

But before the craftsmen get on with their job, the authorities are scratching their heads to ensure no one in the congested area is hurt while the repairs are under way.

But that has not been easy. The area is chaotic. Serpentine traffic snarls never seem to end. Hawkers mill around the place round the clock, and tourists keep clicking way. Also, the damaged minaret overlooks a temple and the ASI has had to ensure it is not affected in any way.

ASI’s deputy superintending archaeologist T. Sreelakshmi insisted, like her colleagues had done last year, that despite the fallen stucco portion, the monument was safe.

“The granite block behind the fallen chunk is intact and there is no danger to the monument,” she said.

This isn’t the first time a Charminar minaret is being fixed, though the job has become immeasurably difficult because of the congestion over the years. During 2001, blocks of decorative work had fallen off the terrace but had been repaired in a few days using lime and mortar.

But some believe the iconic monument — which signifies Hyderabad in much the same way as Howrah bridge symbolises Calcutta — is also paying a price for government apathy. Although the ASI is responsible for the upkeep, the Andhra Pradesh government is yet to fulfil a promise for a chemical clean-up of the outer portion despite several studies ringing alarm bells about the corrosion caused by years of pollution.