That it happened was unfortunate. That it happened on World Tourism Day was ironic.

With incessant rain in Hyderabad, a part of Moti Darwaza, which is one of the entrances to the Golconda Fort collapsed on Friday. This is a 400-year-old Qutb Shahi structure. The Fort is where the Independence Day celebrations of the Telangana state are held.

The Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) has requested the ASI to take up restoration of the Moti Darwaza immediately. Late evening, the GHMC authorities demolished the remaining portion of the structure.

According to ASI officials, the material used to construct the structure was mostly mud with little lime. The age of the structure was the main reason why it gave away, was the initial assessment. However, local heritage activists have accused ASI of neglecting Moti Darwaza over the years.

The Golconda Fort was ruled by the Kakatiyas, the Bahamani Sultans and the Qutb Shahi dynasty before it fell to Aurangzeb in 1687.