Karnataka - Bangalore   

‘Haphazard construction’ in Hampi not allowed

Bangalore: As new buildings proliferate around the Hampi ruins, a world heritage site, the Department of Kannada, Culture and Information is taking steps to ensure that their architecture conforms to heritage requirements.

Jayaramaraje Urs, Secretary, Kannada, Culture and Information, said that the provisions of the Town and Country Planning Act will be invoked to ensure that the new constructions meet heritage standards, and that permission is taken from the Hampi World Heritage Site Management Authority.

Speaking at the inauguration of a three-day conference titled “Tangible and intangible heritage of the Hampi region,” here on Friday Mr. Urs said that the Deputy Commissioner of Bellary (who is also chairman of the Hampi World Heritage Site Management Authority) has been instructed not to permit “haphazard construction” in the region, be they residences or government buildings. He added that the proposed bridge at Anegundi — a bone of contention between the district authorities and UNESCO — will be redesigned to allow only light vehicles.

Historian S. Settar said that while the ruins had become the subject of intense research, there was “still a long way to go” in discovering pre and post-Vijayanagar history. “Photographic documentation goes back to the 19th century and almost all the major monuments have been documented between the 1830s and 1850s. Aerial photography is now aiding documentation — but the future will be satellite imagery, in discovering Hampi through remote sensing.” Prof. Settar added that local residents must never be excluded from development plans for Hampi. “The Hampi we have today is what has been preserved by local residents for 300 years,” he said. Michael A. Tomlan, Director, Graduate Program in Historic Preservation Planning, Cornell University, U.S., said that “intangible” heritage — be it language or festivals, food or craft — are as vulnerable.

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