Karnataka   

Plan for protection of heritage structures proposed

BANGALORE: Mansions, harking back to a historical era, are brought down to make way for glassy structures; temples built centuries ago suddenly sport colourful tiles in the name of renovation; little known buildings with ancient stories to tell, degenerate due to lack of attention.

But that could soon be a matter of the past, if the proposal prepared by the Department of Archaeology, Museums and Heritage for conservation of the 25,000 heritage sites in the State is accepted by the Government. It would entail amendments to the Karnataka Town and Country Planning Act, 1961.

Setting up a heritage conservation committee in Bangalore, other corporation areas, city municipal councils, town municipal councils and town panchayats is the first recommendation. Architects, environmentalists, historians, representatives from the Archaeological Survey of India and conservation organisations, apart from government officials concerned could be part of the committee, the proposal states.

Preparing a list of buildings, artefacts, structures, precincts and natural features of historic, aesthetic, architectural, cultural or environmental significance could be one of the key functions of the conservation committee, it says.

It also recommends that buildings and precincts identified as heritage be graded into three categories. Grade one comprises those of national or historic importance, embodying excellence in architecture, associated with a historic event, movement, personality or institution and require careful preservation. Grade two comprises monuments that are local landmarks that contribute to the identity of the region and deserve intelligent conservation. Representative of the lifestyle of a particular community or region, buildings in grade three are those that need protection of its unique features and attributes.

Heritage sites in private hands are the least secure as people sell the property citing exorbitant maintenance costs. The proposal suggests that the responsibility of repairing and maintaining private heritage sites remain with the owners. But to provide incentives for individuals to retain and not sell them off, the proposal recommends that the owner be given a development right certificate, which he can use to build additional floor area elsewhere.

If the heritage site, allowed to be used for commercial purposes, is not maintained properly, the proposal recommends that the local authority be vested with powers to revoke that permission.

The proposal is important because it finally seeks to put in place a much-needed mechanism for regulation of heritage sites, a long standing plea of conservationists. “If this comes through, then we will have a tool to fight with to preserve our heritage,” H.R. Prathiba, convenor of Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage (INTACH), told The Hindu.

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