Worried about heritage property? Call AHF for counselling

Are you one of those who have inherited a heritage property but don’t know what to do to restore it to its former glory?

Well here is some good news for you.  The Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation and Gujarat Institute of Housing and Estate Developers’ (GIHED) through their initiative — Ahmedabad Heritage Foundation (AHF) — plan to offer free technical support and guidance to those who want to give a new avatar to their heritage properties.

According to AMC sources, there are around 12,000 heritage buildings within the walled city. And if one were to consider the number of such buildings within the AMC limit, the figure would be much higher, said the source.

The AHF has been founded for conserving and promoting the heritage properties in the city and with the new initiative, the developers and other who’s who of the city plan to take it to the next level as part of the initiatives to celebrate Ahmedabad’s 600th birthday.

The AHF will train architects, engineers and contractors who will help renovate and restructure the heritage properties of those who wish to restore it.

“The city has a great tradition in architecture that needs to be preserved. But unfortunately, though we have good architects and engineers not all of them have the technical know-how as far as preservation and restoration of heritage properties are concerned,” said Rajiv Patel, an active AHF member.

Patel said this was why the AHF is creating the technical cell to help both the citizens and technicians. Patel, who is also a developer, has adopted a heritage property in the walled city for restoration.

Patel further said many architects have come forward to join hands with AHF and have offered their service for the cause.

According to AHF members, they also plan to give souvenirs to those who take part in the heritage walk.

The AFH will soon be adopting the heritage walk that at present is being run by the AMC’s heritage cell. Commenting on the initiatives, the president of Confederation of Real Estate and Developers Association of India (CREDAI) — Gujarat chapter, Jaxay Shah said that conserving the properties were as important as restoring them.

“The AFH will also give free counselling about conserving the properties,” he said. Shah said that the coming property show will also delve into the matter of conserving heritage properties.
“Seminars for engineers and architects will also be held in the city to educate them about the subject,” Shah said.