HYDERABAD: The 17th-century Bansilalpet stepwell in Secunderabad which has been restored to its original glory was inaugurated on December 5 by MAUD Minister KT Rama Rao. The State government with the cooperation of various departments has brought back the past glory of the ancient stepwell that lay in ruins. 

Hours after the Minister for Municipal Administration and Urban Development K.T. Rama Rao threw open the restored stepwell at Bansilalpet in Hyderabad, the project won the prestigious Big 5 Construction Impact Award in Dubai. “The award is dedicated to the skilled persons, craftsmen and the people who worked for the cause. The award is for the community of the area who accepted the positive change,” said Surya Narayana Murthy of Kshetra after receiving the award.

The stepwell, revived in Bansilalpet, has also caught Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s attention. During his recent Mann ki Baat, he praised the efforts of officials to restore the structure. Modi said he was happy as most of the people in India had made water conservation a life mission. The Bansilalpet stepwell is one such stepwell that is centuries old and is a part of our heritage. This stepwell was earlier filled with garbage and debris, but the campaign to revive the stepwell was successful, he said.

What began a year ago as the revival of the stepwell, also known as Nagannakunta, has now changed completely. The Bansilalpet stepwell had been neglected for decades, left in a dilapidated condition and filled with debris and garbage.

Restoration of the stepwell began with cleaning, dewatering, and desilting the well, structural strengthening of retaining walls, rebuilding and finishing works, etc. The well has an annual rainwater harvesting potential of 30-35 lakh liters.

The Rainwater Project, an organization involved in several water management-related projects in the city, is involved in the restoration work of the Bansilalpet stepwell. Around 2,000 tonnes of garbage, silt, and debris accumulated over the past four decades has been removed from the well and restoration began.

The stepwell, considered a heritage structure in Secunderabad is ready for a fresh lease of life, devoid of all the trash that buried it for decades and yes, with fresh water gushing from deep below.The old brick and mortar facade with jack arches towards the main road, has been restored and has at the main arch entrance a wooden block with ‘Bansilalpet’ engraved on it.

The narrow bylanes have been re-laid with electric lines shifted underground, sewerage and drinking water lines have been realigned, rainwater harvesting pits have been constructed and a spacious parking area has also been identified, in what was a congested residential area that had a stepwell.

Once tourists start visiting the place, the locals are expected to open shops selling handicrafts and handlooms, etc in front of their homes.

On Friday, Animal Husbandry Minister, T Srinivas Yadav visited the stepwell and its surroundings along with MAUD Special Chief Secretary Arvind Kumar and reviewed the arrangements. The newly constructed tourist plaza building will have replica model of the stepwell installed in it, displaying various types of ancient equipment found during the removal of silt accumulated in the well.

What started a year ago as the revival and restoration of a 17th-century stepwell at Bansilalpet in Secunderabad has now changed the face of the locality, so much so that the state government would like to call it a successful experiment that it would like to replicate around Charminar – Hyderabad’s 431-year-old foundation monument.

Arvind Kumar, special chief secretary (Municipal Administration and Urban Development), told indianexpress.com that once tourists start visiting the area, the locals are expected to open shops selling handicrafts and handlooms, etc in front of their homes. “The idea is that if people feel economic value and benefit in the whole effort, it will become a people’s project and they will preserve it. In the Charminar area, too, we have identified 49 structures (other than Charminar) in the 500-metre radius that will be restored, renovated, and economically integrated with the local population, in the same way,” Kumar said.

While the Nagannah Kunta – Bansilalpet Stepwell – has been restored to its original glory, its surroundings now are paved with cobblestones and dotted with 42 aesthetic electric light poles. An old dilapidated building adjacent to the well has now made way for a multi-storeyed tourist plaza with a viewing gallery overlooking the stepwell. The building also houses a history interpretation centre, apart from a cafeteria and toilets. The adjoining open ground is now fenced and makes for a garden, a jogging track, and an amphitheatre.

The century-old brick and mortar facade with jack arches that marked the boundary of the then Bansilalpet model village established by the British in the 1930s, towards the main road, has been restored and has at the main arch entrance a wooden block with ‘Bansilalpet’ engraved on it. The narrow bylanes have been re-laid with electric lines shifted underneath, sewerage and drinking water lines have been realigned, rainwater harvesting pits have been constructed, an electric transformer that was right over the well was relocated, and a spacious parking area has also been identified, in what was a congested residential area that had a historic well hidden under 2,000 tonnes of debris for the last four decades.

Recounting her early memories of the Saat Kamaan bowli (a well with seven arches), Hajira Adeb aka Sheema, a resident, said over four decades ago children used to play here and elders used to gather in the evenings. “I remember people used to fetch water from the well for drinking purposes. This water used to be supplied to the nearby tank and then to homes. The water from the well was used for performing rituals when someone died. It was only after one or two suicides in the well that it was slowly turned into a dump yard. After four decades, there was nothing left of it,” she said.

he well was originally part of a garden of tamarind and palmyra trees before British Resident TH Keyes developed a well-planned model village around the stepwell, funded by Seth Bansilal in 1933. It was during this time that the boundary wall with arches was also built around the well’s periphery. Speaking about the Bansilalpet stepwell, Kumar said: “If we just restore the stepwell, it will remain a heritage effort. This is our experiment to see if we can weave in the local people, economically, as an integral part of the whole project.”

Kalpana Ramesh of The Rainwater Project, who signed an MoU with the state with regard to the project, said repurposing the space was very important to making it a sustainable project. An interior architect and designer for over two decades, Kalpana calls herself a bridge between the residents, donors, conservation architects, hydrogeologists, artists, photographers, and researchers who became part of the project. “All the ongoing works will be over by November 15,” said a supervisor at the site.

While the government is known to have spent over Rs 2 crore in the restoration of the facade and the precinct, Kalpana’s NGO raised nearly Rs 1.7 crore from individual and institutional donors, like Gandipet Welfare society, for the restoration of the stepwell. “Moreover, we are talking about a behavioural change in the public so that they don’t go back to dumping garbage here as they did for four decades. While our priority is ensuring local water security and bringing sustainability to cities, I am thrilled about the change we have achieved in eight months. It is a phenomenal success story and the political will and support has been overwhelming,” she said.

The stone plaque reads that the restoration of Nagannah Kunta and the precinct around the stepwell is an initiative to reclaim the traditional knowledge of water systems and foster water sustainability. Kalpana calls the stepwell a ‘bucket’ with a capacity to hold 22 lakh litres of rainwater and mitigate urban flooding. The balconies of houses that once overlooked a garbage dump have the best views. According to Srinivas Naidu, another resident, the restoration of the well and a facelift to the locality have brought them their due recognition. “Now, this is not only a place for the community but also a tourist spot which will be visited by people from across the world,” he added.