United States Ambassador to India Kenneth Juster on Tuesday announced the completion of a US-funded restoration project at the 17th century Qutb Shahi Tombs in Telangana's capital city of Hyderabad.
The announcement in this regard was made during Juster's visit to Hyderabad aimed at advancing India-US strategic partnership.
In February 2019, Ambassador Juster had announced a USD 103,000 grant through the Ambassadors Fund for Cultural Preservation, partnering with the Aga Khan Foundation, to restore and conserve the centuries-old tombs of Taramati and Premamati within the greater Qutb Shahi Tombs complex.
This was the second grant awarded by the US Government for conservation work at the Qutb Shahi Tombs. An earlier AFCP grant of USD 101,000, awarded in 2014, contributed to mapping and documenting structures throughout the site and helped transform archaeologists' understanding of the monument's earliest architecture.
During the visit, the Ambassador also attended the "Topping Out" Ceremony of the New Consulate Compound in Hyderabad and celebrated the completion of all major structural components at the new compound.
"I'm pleased to see progress at the new US Consulate Compound in Hyderabad," the Ambassador remarked on the occasion, adding, "From the success of the US-India defense partnership, as exemplified by a decade of cooperation between Lockheed Martin and Tata, to the restoration of the historic tombs of Taramati and Premamati, US-India ties are clearly thriving in Hyderabad."
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The expansive structure has now reached a significant milestone in the Consulate's construction. The new facility serves as a pillar of the deepening relationship between the United States and this region of India, where Consulate General Hyderabad officially engages communities, companies, and institutions across the States of Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, and Odisha.
Spread across more than 12 acres, the facility will feature 54 consular interview windows as well as artfully preserved Deccan rock formations.
During the visit, the Ambassador toured the Tata-Lockheed Martin Aerostructures facility, currently in its 10th year, which stands as a testament to the strong relationship between the defense industries of the United States and India.
The jointly-owned facility in Adibatla manufactures airframe components, including centre-wing boxes and tail sections for the C-130J military transport aircraft. Tata-Lockheed plans to expand their partnership to produce further aircraft in India, which would advance the capabilities of the Indian Air Force and accelerate US-India cooperation in sensitive high-end technologies.