Khadia Itihas Samiti Demands A Review Of All Old Havelis In The Walled City
The damage done to The United Bengal Home – a memorial of freedom struggle — has proved to be catalyst sparking off a conservation revolution. Intensifying the fight, Khadia Itihas Samiti has reviewed a large number of heritage havelis in the walled city and documented the ones that have crumbled in recent past. Sadly, these ancient structures have been replaced by high-rise residential buildings.
Dhobi ni Pol residents are struggling to protect The United Bengal Home as they do not want this monumental structure to be replaced by another high-rise. Recounting such the sad instances, the pol’s resident and Samiti’s secretary Ashutosh Bhatt said, “Many 500-year-old grand structures have been pulled down in recent past. The list includes Surendra Ray ni Haveli at Aka Sheth Kuva-ni-Pol, Manaki Vala ni Haveli at Kalupur, havelis in Doshiwala-ni-Pol and Jati-ni-Pol. Residential and commercial complexes have mushroomed in their places.” Samiti is demanding that the state government conduct a fresh review of old ha- velis.
The state’s sports and cultural affairs department had last reviewed the condition of havelis in various pols in 1995-96 and was to extend the list of protected havelis from only 53. “The department had observed that 500-year-old structures like Harkuvar Shethani ni Pol in Patasa-ni-Pol, Kolsavala and Divetiya ni Haveli in Lakha-ni-Pol, Maganbhai Karamchand building in Kameshwar-ni-Pol, Dada Na Dada Building in Totada-ni-Pol must be included in list of protected building. However, none of these havelis has yet been included. Samiti has prepared a new list of such ancient structures which need attention,” said Bhatt.
City has lost many ancient monumental buildings, said Bharti Selat, ancient architecture and manuscript expert and former director of B J Institute of Learning and Research. “However fight to protect Bengal Home, a structure of national importance, has gained momentum as the locals have understood that if they the do not come forward to protect the heritage, they would be left with its grand stories, few pictures and painful memories of deterioration.” A heritage conservation foundation Varso’s Raheel Patel said, “If the authorities fail to act in time to protect the Bengal Home’s teakwood decorative front panel that stands on precarious balance – we would lose an important piece of history.”
Samiti to meet mayor
Khadia Itihas Samiti will meet the city mayor Asit Vora on Monday. The representatives of Samiti will demand an investigation on the collapse of the United Bengal Home.
