The Hindu : New Delhi News : Red Fort repair work faces drainage problem

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New Delhi

Red Fort repair work faces drainage problem

Neha Alawadhi

Unwanted structures demolished
Lack of civic sense among visitors

NEW DELHI: Having faced a long-drawn legal battle that stretched over almost seven years, conservation work went under way at the historic Red Fort here at the beginning of this year in accordance with the Supreme Court approved Comprehensive Conservation Management Plan.

Conservation work at the monument came under the scanner in 2003, when a public interest litigation was filed against Archaeological Survey of India for improper conservation practices. The CCMP was developed by ASI in collaboration with the Cultural Resource Conservation Initiative, an agency engaged in heritage conservation, and was approved by the Supreme Court last year.

While the CCMP detailed an implementation procedure for conservation, its implementation is hindered by “practical difficulties” of undertaking conservation work at such a large scale.

According to Superintending Archaeologist ASI Delhi Circle, K. K. Muhammed, the biggest problem for a monument is drainage. Because of the alterations in the drainage system over the years, “rain water stagnates and capillary action takes place. Ideally, those outlets which are not completely blocked should be opened… [so that] drainage runs out into the moats,” said Mr. Muhammed.

The second important factor to consider, according to Mr. Muhammed, was engaging the right kaarigars and ensuring proper execution of the work.

The implementation strategy detailed by the CCMP recommended that conservation work at the Red Fort be completed in three phases spread out over ten years. Maintaining the quality of conservation at the Red Fort becomes even more important because of the World Heritage Monument status conferred upon it by UNESCO in 2007.

The demolition of “unwanted structures”, which were listed in the CCMP and numbered over a hundred, was begun by ASI around September, and “is almost complete”.

The conservation work to restore the roof of the Chhatta Bazaar, the two-storey market within the Red Fort, was taken up around the time of the Commonwealth Games and is now complete. The ASI will also take up restoration of the second storey at a later stage.

Besides, estimates for restoration of Diwan- i- aam, Rang Mahal and Tasbih Khana have been prepared by the ASI Delhi Circle, and work will begin once the estimates are approved.

There are immediate concerns though, that are being addressed. Placards announcing “emergency work in progress” were seen outside Diwan- i- aam this past week, where a section of the roof had apparently come off.

The lack of conservation work at the Red Fort in the past few years has left most of the 17 {+t} {+h} Century structures damaged, not only because of age, but also because of the problems associated with changing weather cycles and pollution. One such structure was the Moti Masjid, the mosque used by Shahjahan for his personal use. Until September, the structure was covered in a layer of moss. Work began on the mosque about a month ago, with scraping off the moss and “cleaning” the walls before “Mughal shell-lime plaster” was applied on the outer walls. According to a craftsman at work, the plaster being used for restoration is a complex mixture of “lentil water, jaggery, coconut and a lot of other things”. The entire structure is likely to take another month to complete.

Close to the mosque, the marble Sawan Pavilion in the Hayat-Baksh Bagh was treated by a chemical conservation process over the past one month. While the marble and the inlay work on pillars were clearly visible after the cleaning, an ASI official overseeing the work lamented the lack of civic sense among visitors to the monument. “People come here and scribble their names, numbers and anything they please on the monument.

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