The Hindu : New Delhi News : A new lease of life for Mughal bridge

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Monday, Apr 05, 2004

New Delhi

New Delhi

A new lease of life for Mughal bridge

By Our Staff Reporter

NEW DELHI, APRIL 4. After decades of neglect, Barahpula -- the bridge built by the Mughal Emperor Jahangir -- located near Nizamuddin will be given a new lease of life by the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI). Having woken up to its importance, the ASI is finally clearing the encroachments around the bridge.

"The High Court has recently ordered clearing of unauthorised construction in and around the Barahpula, Khan-e-Khanan's Tomb as well as Humayun's Tomb. There are about 500 jhuggis in the area. There are also people who sell fruit and other items. We have started surveying the area and will clear the encroachments soon,'' said a senior ASI official.

In keeping with ASI's new vision to look beyond the monuments, the clearing of encroachments from this area is a move in the right direction, feel experts.

Choked with garbage and being used as a rickshaw stand, it is difficult to imagine that the Barahpula has a history behind it.

And simply clearing the bridge from encroachments will not be enough experts believe.

"This is not the first time that we have cleared encroachments in this area. But removing them is not a permanent solution. It is difficult for us to maintain the area, since security is not our forte. We can only depute one man and it is almost impossible for him to keep a check on the whole area. Since the land around the Barahpula does not belong to us, we have to co-ordinate with other agencies to provide security, which is not always easy,'' admitted another ASI official.

However, the ASI seems determined to make it a success thing time round. While conservationists might have doubts over the stability of the bridge since it has been in use for 400 years, the ASI is confident that minor repairs will suffice. "We also plan to develop the area around it. We hope to be able to landscape the area and make the whole stretch green.

We also plan to get all the agencies involved in the project so that we can increase security in the area,'' stated an official.

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