The Hindu : Heritage Day leaves a bitter impression

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Friday, Apr 18, 2003

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Heritage Day leaves a bitter impression

By Our Staff Reporter

NEW DELHI APRIL 17. While a far corner of the world is facing destruction of its heritage for political gains, closer home the past is being lost, albeit for less "grander'' reasons. Given lack of political will along with public disinterest, conservationists fear a deadly combination is causing history to "disappear''.

With a number of monuments under threat of demolition or encroachment, the future of the past seems bleak. And while April 18 is celebrated all over the world as "Heritage Day'', it seems to be just another date on the calendar for most Delhiites. Over the years, 12 monuments out of 167 listed in the Delhi Circle have disappeared. Officially declared "missing'', these buildings don't exist anymore.

Those left, 19 have been encroached upon and a large number like Badli-ki-Serai are quietly falling to ruin. And while there are 1,000 other buildings which can be included by the Archaeological Survey of India, there is no budget to expand the list.

``People are just obsessed with things that guarantee returns. The entire economy seems geared towards this and protecting finer things is not important. Till people wake up to the fact that heritage can be part of economic development, this will not change. The government also needs to play larger role, to mobilise protection. Most developers see it as an obstacle to development and not part of it,'' says senior conservationist K.T. Ravindran.

The Qutub Complex, a World Heritage Site, is perhaps the best example to illustrate the point. While it enjoys the status of being a tourist attraction, its buffer zone has an illegal colony which has been flourishing for over 20 years. With the authorities turning a blind eye to this problem, the Church Colony, which is built over the Lal Kot Walls, experts feel is growing daily.

The illegal colony is just one of the problems with the site. There is yet to be a development plan drawn up for it by the ASI. With dhabas dotting the entrance, the parking lot in also in disarray, a lot still needs to be done before it meets all the UNESCO requirements. Unfortunately, it might be a couple of more April 18, before any action is taken.

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