Calls for ‘development’ threatening our heritage buildings

Alipore jail in Kolkata is a site of great historical importance, having housed many freedom fighters who incurred the Raj’s wrath, including Subhash Chandra Bose. Bose reportedly planned his “great escape” while imprisoned here. Jawahralal Nehru and Chittaranjan Das were other inmates of this legendary jail. Another notable prisoner was Aurobindo Ghosh, implicated in the famous Alipore bomb case of 1908 for “waging war against the government of the Raj.” Sri Aurobindo’s time in Alipore jail, however, helped him find God through several mystical and spiritual experiences that he underwent there, eventually leading to the creation of the Aurobindo Ashram in Puducherry. Alipore is also home to India’s oldest printing press — the 130-year-old Alipore Central Jail Press.

A mammoth project is underway in Kolkata that involves shifting of 700 prisoners currently lodged in Alipore jail to other prisons in the city. This slightly Kafkaesque prison-to-prison migration exercise is happening in order to unlock the real estate potential of 20 acres of the Alipore jail complex, valued at Rs 960 crore. The West Bengal government is spending Rs 250 crore on this ‘development plan’. Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has been quoted in an article about this project saying “I ask a lot of questions, I am always on the lookout for something new. So, when I saw this plot of land going waste, I spoke to my cabinet colleagues.”

Several historians and conservation activists in the city are understandably disturbed. In an email exchange, conservation architect Nilina Deb pointed out some pertinent flaws in the way this project is being handled. “Where is the Environment Impact Assessment Report and Conservation Plan about how the built heritage, land and environment will be handled?” she asks. The government is only a custodian of a heritage site, it cannot unilaterally decide to monetise the land which they hold in trust, Deb points out, adding that there ought to be more transparency with public consultation, peer review and expert opinion offered by a jury. The apprehension among concerned citizens is that in classic sarkari style, a report will be produced by internal stooges, some builders roped in and some horrifying modern construction like a mall will soon be erected in the complex in the name of ‘development’. Already, a parking lot and a government guest house have been given the nod. With land prices in the area, one of the costliest in Kolkata, the kind of apartments that are expected to come up will be more for the chatterati than the average Chatterjee.

This is certainly not a first. India is full of heritage sites, which have been treated with callous myopia by the government. It isn’t someone else’s problem, it is a collective responsibility as cultural and artistic heritage is a legacy belonging to every citizen. Under Article 51 A(f), the Constitution makes it the duty of every citizen of India to value and preserve our built heritage. It is only because of conscientious citizens that serious threats to some of our monuments have been averted.  In the Taj Mahal Trapezium Case, a citizen, MC Mehta, filed a PIL in the Supreme Court to protect the Taj Mahal from surrounding polluting industries way back in 1984. Judgement, of course, took 12 years in coming. MC Mehta also filed a case in 2007 against the Taj Heritage Corridor Project approved by the Uttar Pradesh government of the day. Fortunately, judicial intervention put this project on hold.

A multi-disciplinary Heritage Conservation Committee (HCC) in each city is supposed to be formed to form criteria for listing buildings as heritage and evaluate on conservation plans. Maintaining architectural harmony with the skyline, putting signages, widening roads — any activity that affects a heritage site has to be approved by the HCC. However, in all major cities, the committees seem to be falling woefully short of their duties. The Delhi HCC has been widely criticised for being unable to stop the iconic Hall of Nations in Pragati Maidan being razed to the ground last year.  This and neighbouring buildings like the Nehru Pavilion, which were also destroyed, were important edifices of our post-colonial history. The unique interlocking design (called space frame in architecture) on the façade of the Hall of Nations made it the largest such structure in reinforced concrete in the world.  

These were, of course, trifles in the face of real estate interests involved in building a “world class, state of the art” facility in its place. Prior to the bulldozing of the Hall of Nations, Delhi’s HCC suddenly declared that only buildings more than 60 years old were to be considered as ‘heritage’. That leaves various buildings considered integral to Delhi’s landscape, like the Lotus Temple built in 1986, vulnerable and unprotected by law. All we need are a few vested interests who set their sights on the land on which a heritage building stands and down will come yet another cherished structure. Kolkatans passionate about their city need to watch out about   the Alipore complex. Examples from elsewhere are not exactly reassuring.

The writer is the author of the book ‘Urban Villager: Life in an Indian satellite town’. Views expressed are personal.