PRESERVE OR PROGRESS, ASKS CITY
Municipal Commissioners Questioning Of Need To Maintain Heritage Structures Which Few Visit Sparks Debate ………Bella Jaisinghani | TNN
Call it the battle of two municipal commissioners: Sir Arthur Crawford, the first commissioner of the city, after whom Crawford Market is named, and current BMC chief Jairaj Phatak. Phataks comments on the redevelopment of the market have generated a debate about the manner in which development may be reconciled with the demands of a city bursting at the seams.
Stating that partial redevelopment of the Grade I structure dating back to 1869 was possible, Phatak had questioned the citys need to preserve heritage sites that few people visit, or add to the existing list of structures.
No one is against development, but one must realise there are laws laid down under the development plan (DP), says a conservationist. Developing a Grade I structure like Crawford Market would call for a change in the law. Different commissioners could have different views, but the law goes beyond the incumbent.
What has heightened the feelings of dismay among heritage activists is that Crawford Market is a Grade I structure, the cream of the crop. There are several public markets that can, and are, being developed, says an activist. Grade I heritage structures are so few anyway. These are landmarks that have a special relationship with the grain of the local architecture, they stand out in a crowd of buildings. A former member of the heritage committee says, Development also includes open spaces, gardens and in fact, other features of a city that enhance the quality of life of its citizens. Do our city fathers consider those while de-reserving plots meant for such noble purposes?
However, at the other end of the spectrum are certain architects and developers who do not think Phataks comments are off the mark. Architect Hafeez Contractor is happy that the municipal commissioner has dared to say that a balance must be achieved between heritage and development. I respect heritage too, but firmly believe that only the right kind of heritage buildings, like CST, BMC and even Crawford Market, should be protected, says Contractor. I respect my old father too much but can I ask my son not to have a baby because it would disturb his sleep?
He adds, The heritage committee is fanning out its territory and authority too much. It is trying to bring every part of Mumbai under the heritage cover. May I ask, for instance, why all of Colaba is sought to be demarcated as a heritage precinct in the new list? Denying this is so, a former chief of the MHCC says the committee was never anti-development. Old markets have been developed in many countries so it can be done in India. One can do so within the given guidelines, but building a highrise or a mall inside Crawford Market is simply against the rules.
Says a 70-year-old resident of Khotachiwadi, who lives in a seven-storey apartment Deccan Vikas, once a beautiful heritage bungalow named Chase House: I was a tenant, but I know the owner had no other option but to redevelop. The wooden structure had become infested with white ants and the house leaked during the rains. He did not have the money to repair it time and again. So redevelopment was like a one-shot surgical amputation, painful but final.
Experts acknowledge that practical problems get in the way of conservation but to demolish old structures would be like throwing the baby with the bathwater. Gaothans and wadis have a different architecture, and privatelyowned buildings cant be compared with government properties in any case, they say.
A former member of the heritage committee points to a longpending proposal that recommends tax benefits for those who do restore their property. If an owner has spent Rs 1 lakh to do up a heritage house, the municipality should not charge tax until he has recovered that amount, he says.
UK-based property dealer Rayomand Plumber had the means to buy and restore an old bungalow in London for a fancy £7,00,000. It was not a listed structure, and I could have torn it down if I wanted to. But demolishing to rebuild is easy, it is the restoration that is difficult. However, the satisfaction gained from seeing the beautiful old structure restored to the original makes you feel it was a sensible investment.
STONES AND STORIES
STONES AND STORIES
We must not allow our built or natural heritage to be affected by unnecessary development, but development is possible without affecting heritage. At Crawford Market, we could consider restricted development as far as the sheds go, without affecting special features like the clock tower. After all, people go to the market to shop so let us give them a good market. I prepared the draft heritage regulations in 1991 and these were enacted in 1995, but we were strict in those days because we were introducing a new concept. Twenty years later, we must move forward. Let us not make a fetish of the pink border surrounding the market on the development plan. Owners of private properties must be proud of their heritage status, right now they are afraid of it.
D T Joseph | AUTHOR OF MUMBAIS HERITAGE REGULATIONS IN 1991