CM Revanth revives 113-year-old Nizam Assembly Hall for Telangana Legislative Council

Hyderabad: In an aim to preserve the State’s architectural heritage while strengthening legislative infrastructure, Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy on Sunday inaugurated the renovated Nizam-era Old Assembly Hall in the State Legislature premises.

The restored heritage structure will now function as the Telangana Legislative Council.

Legislative Assembly Speaker Gaddam Prasad Kumar, Legislative Council Chairman Gutha Sukhender Reddy, several ministers and legislators were present at the ceremony.

Heritage building gets a new role

The iconic building, originally constructed as the Town Hall during the Nizam’s rule, has been repurposed to house the Legislative Council.

The Congress government, after assuming office in December 2023, accorded priority to restoring the historic edifice and bringing it back into active legislative use.

Until now, the Legislative Council had been functioning from a different building within the Legislature complex.

A landmark of Nizam-era architecture from 113 years ago

Construction of the structure began in 1905 and was completed in 1913. Heritage conservationists regard the building as an exquisite example of Indo-Saracenic architecture, blending Indian and Islamic design elements with colonial influences.

Over the decades, the building has played a central role in the region’s political history.

Legislative history through decades

The heritage structure served as the Legislative Assembly of undivided Andhra Pradesh until the mid-1980s.

Subsequently, a new Assembly building was constructed behind it to accommodate all 294 MLAs of the then undivided State. The Assembly began functioning from those new premises thereafter.

Following the bifurcation of Andhra Pradesh in 2014, the Andhra Pradesh Legislative Assembly operated from the heritage building for nearly two years before shifting to its new capital region.

At present, the Telangana Legislative Assembly continues to function from the building constructed in the 1980s, while the restored Nizam-era hall will now serve as the Legislative Council, marking a new chapter in its storied history.