For many, the city of Visakhapatnam appears to be a modern city that has come up over the last few decades.
The city, with a hoary past, is much smarter today, but its heritage sites have not been protected, as desired.
Basically, the heritage of the city can be divided into two. One that is ancient and the other are the remnants and edifices of the colonial era.
On the eve of World Heritage Day, which is celebrated world wide on Tuesday, the overwhelming feeling among historians, architects and heritage conservationists from the Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage (Intach) is that heritage sites in the city, especially those of the colonial era, are subjected to gross neglect and the officials concerned have turned a blind eye.
According to Intach, there are about 95 heritage buildings and precincts in Visakhapatnam district and 168 under the Visakhapatnam Metropolitan Region (VMR).
While most them are from the colonial era, a few such as the Buddhist sites of Thotlakonda and Bavikonda are over 2,000 years old and a few temples such as Simhachalam, Appikonda ane Embarmannar Venkateswara Temple are dated between the 700 and 1,000 years old, said Prasad, convener of Intach, Vizag.
The ancient ones come under the purview of the Archaeological Survey of India and are taken care of, but the colonial ones are under threat, said Mr. Prasad.
Symbols of neglect
According to Intach, of the 95 sites, about 27 are in Bheemunipatnam that date back to the Dutch period. “Of the 27, about 90 % are either in dilapidated condition or have been demolished,” said Edward Paul of Intach. The same is the condition of heritage buildings in city limits. The Kurupam Market has been demolished, and buildings such as the Town Hall and Queen Mary School need immediate attention, said Mr. Paul.
The activists feel that for the sites to be conserved and renovated, the edifices have to be listed under the heritage list of the urban authorities.
Echoing their views, Prof. G. Viswanadh Kumar of the Department of Architecture, Andhra University, says as per the VUDA master plan that was formulated in 2006, a heritage conservation committee (HCC) should be created. And it is the HCC that lists the buildings after following some standard procedures that include a public hearing.
Almost every city has got a HCC. The HCC is very strong in Mumbai, but in Vizag it is yet to be formed, said Prof. Viswanadham.
