With Charminar registering a huge jump in domestic tourist footfalls, the Telangana government has decided to explore solutions to end parking woes for tourist buses and cars in the vicinity. Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy has ordered a feasibility study to convert the Old Charminar bus stand into a parking lot following a suggestion from AIMIM chief and Hyderabad MP Asaduddin Owaisi. Since there is no open space or dedicated parking lot around Charminar, which is located in the congested part of the Old City, tourists are mostly forced to walk a considerable distance or rely on autorickshaws to reach this Qutb Shahi monument.
The latest figures released by the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) on the top ten monuments in the country, which draw the maximum domestic tourists, show that Golconda Fort ranks sixth, with footfalls rising from 15.27 lakh in 2022-23 to 16.08 lakh in 2023-24. Charminar, which ranks ninth, also saw a massive increase in domestic tourists from 9.29 lakh in 2022-23 to 12.90 lakh in 2023-24.
Drawing the attention of Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy, Hyderabad MP Asaduddin Owaisi wrote on ‘X’, “I request Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy and GHMC Commissioner to immediately start the construction of a parking lot at the Old Charminar Bus Stand. This will facilitate the parking of tourist buses and cars.” Currently, most tourist buses and cars park at the Chow Mohalla palace, a private museum, or other private spaces, and visit Charminar and the nearby Mecca Masjid, ambling through the lanes and bylanes of Laad Bazar. However, the private parking spaces charge arbitrarily, leaving tourists at the mercy of agents.
Owaisi also suggested that a cable car service should be considered from the Seven Tombs — the necropolis of the Qutb Shahi dynasty which had founded Hyderabad city — to the Bala Hisar of Golconda Fort to bring more tourists to the fort. However, the Chief Minister did not respond to the suggestion as it would require approval from Centre.