Collectorate razing would be irreparable blow to Patna: INTACH chairman to Nitish

The chorus against the proposed demolition of historic Patna Collectorate is growing, and now INTACH chairman has appealed to Chief Minister Nitish Kumar to spare the building the wrecking ball, saying its dismantling would deal an "irreparable blow" to the architectural fabric of the city.
In a letter to Kumar, the Delhi-based heritage body's chairman Gen (retd) L K Gupta has also drawn Kumar's attention towards the unprotected heritage buildings and sought their urgent protection.
"This (demolition) will be a serious and irreparable blow to the architectural fabric of Patna, I urge you to protect, conserve, adapt and reuse this architectural landmark," Gen Gupta said in the letter.

The over two centuries old Collectorate consists of a cluster of buildings, including original Dutch structures, to which the British later added new ones.
Endowed with high ceilings and hanging skylights, along with Patna College's main administration building and remnants of opium godown in Gulzarbagh, the three are the last surviving signatures of Dutch history in Bihar's capital.
In the letter, Indian National Trust for Arts and Cultural Heritage (INTACH) has also offered to the state government to draw up a "heritage master plan" for the city, which has lost a number of historical buildings and landmarks in the past several years including the Bankipore Central Jail, and bungalows of Civil Surgeon and the District and Sessions Judge.

"INTACH can also assist draw up a heritage Master Plan for Patna which will help preserve the city's heritage sites and generate more and more tourism footfall," it says.

Many of the city's buildings, both public and private, lie exposed to the wrecking ball, despite having historical importance as they are neither protected centrally nor under the state archaeology department.
The Bihar government's Art and Culture Department had in 2008 brought out a publication 'Patna: A Monumental History' in which the Collectorate was listed as a heritage building, but the government had not notified it.
Highlighting the vulnerabilities of unprotected heritage buildings in the city, INTACH's Patna Chapter and members of civil society, including eminent historians, architects and former judges had on April 6 urged Kumar not to go ahead with the demolition.

The Bihar government has decided to raze the Collectorate and replace them with a high-rise complex. Conservation architects and historians have also suggested that the buildings can be restored as the country has the expertise for it.
In his letter, General Gupta has also drawn Kumar's attention to the environmental impact of erecting high-rises, given the fact that the Collectorate is located on the fragile banks of river Ganga.
"Demolition of old buildings and construction of new buildings, also add to global warming, besides making for huge capital outlays.
"Reuse of the existing buildings with suitable additions and alterations is always recommended as being not only much less expensive but they also leave a very small footprint of global warming for which the state can earn carbon credits," he says.

INTACH Patna Chapter had sent a rather strongly-worded petition to the chief minister to immediately scrap the impending demolition plan, saying it would set a "very bad precedent and further jeopardise the fate of other heritage buildings in the city and eventually in the state".
An online civil society-driven campaign -- Save Historic Patna Collectorate -- launched on April 3, has also grown in strength, with the number of supporters, from Patna to Amsterdam, having swollen to over 700.
The INTACH Patna's petition was supported by noted historians Narayani Gupta and Surendra Gopal, justice (retd) Uday Singh, former bureaucrats, academicians, doctors, advocates, journalists and other professionals, who had also recommended restoring the Collectorate to its original glory and "save it for posterity".

"INTACH has already worked with your government to improve the Shri Patna Sahib Area, offered plans for Bodh Gaya and Kesaria and is working on Gaya as part of the HRIDAY Cities Project," Gen Gupta says in the letter.
HRIDAY (Heritage City Development and Augmentation Yojana) is Centre's project for which 12 cities across the country have been identified for holistic development with a focus on heritage rejuvenation.
INTACH Patna Chapter Convener and architect J K Lall says, "We had are exploring legal avenues too besides raising awareness about the issue. We are hoping the chief minister would listen to the plea of people and experts, which is now reaching him from all quarters."

In the appeal, Lall had also cited examples of Delhi's colonial-era 'Bikaner House' which was restored recently to its original glory.
"Restoration is the global norm now. From New York's Kings Theatre opened last year after painstaking restoration to Viceregal Lodge of Delhi University, the examples are aplenty, and one doesn't have to look far," he said.
Danish-era St Olav's Church in Serampore in West Bengal was rededicated on April 16 after three years of extensive restoration. The Governor House and Danish Tavern of the era there are also being restored.