A statutory nodal agency for identification, protection, and conservation of Heritage in the Bengaluru Metropolitan Region shall be established. The agency shall have appropriate funding from from the government for its function, as well as autonomy in developing policies and practices. This agency will develop a Heritage Policy for the BMR, which shall be reviewed and revised periodically.
For the full text that has appeared in today's DNA, click here , and here for an associated article.
I expect there's no debate whatsoever over Lalbagh and Laxman Rao beaulevard being classified as parts of the city's heritage. So, do we now expect this commission to review the METRO alignment along these heritage sites? If that's a little too late now, can we atleast hope that this will be last of the (official) encroachments into heritage sites like these. the Cubbon park, etc?
Muralidhar Rao
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Is BHC a JNNURM project? Mysore Heritage sites proj is JNNURM
In Mysore City, such preservation work is already under way and identified heritage sites are under JNNURM funding. But the progress is nothing worth writing home about.
Terms and conditions, which of the sites can be classified as heritage etc., are not within the public domain nor are they made public. But every week JNNURM projects are promptly reviewed by the Regl. Commissioner and the lady keeps 'pulling up the officers for the slow progress' week after week. http://www.starofmysore.com dated 27-5-09
- Vasanthkumar Mysoremath
Maybe I am a little cynical
Maybe I am a little cynical but I fear that this is just another attempt by the BBMP to justify their destruction of Bangalore's Heritage by getting some offcial certification for their actions. The can now say that the Heritage agency believes a certain building has no intrinsic value and hence can be demolished - like the environmental expert who believes that cutting trees is essential for the conversion of Bangalore in to a `world class' city.
Ramesh
not just you, Ramesh!
The following was the comment on the subject by a HU member:
I could not stop myself from replying to this. While I love to be optimistic and hate to be pessimistic, I can foresee that this agency will have someone called HERITAGE OFFICER. And the feedback of this HERITAGE OFFICER will what be relied upon for all decisions. And god knows how this HERITAGE OFFICER will create his/her feedback and which forces will be acting upon creation of the HERITAGE OFFICER'S feedback. Oh wait a second. Government is going to form this agency right? Aha!!
The whole thing sounds pretty similar to the concept of tree officer.
From my brief half-knowledge, if, with so called country's best urban planning acts and conservation acts in place, we have to see what we are seeing today with respect to urban area destruction and nature destruction, I wonder about what to expect from the Heritage agency even if turns out to be the one with best clauses in the country.
With every agency formation, ofcourse, there will be funds allocated to it isnt it?
But well... No harm in having one more agency. No harm in being optimistic.
But for sure, encroachment will not be the last. And the struggle for sure is not going to be the last if we do not adhere to the clauses therein.
Muralidhar Rao