The collapse of the French-era Mayoral office, The Mairie, six months ago has led to Puducherry government’s decision to notify some of the city’s important landmarks as heritage buildings and announcing conservation measures.
In a recent order, the government listed 21 structures as heritage assets, marking the important first stride towards putting in place a conservation protocol that is holistic, inter-disciplinary and appropriately funded as well.
The notified list includes prominent landmarks such as the old Band Stand, Aayi Mandapam, Foyer du Soldat, Raj Nivas, Calve College and Le Café.
“The government is leading by example showing that heritage conservation is important,” Ashok Panda, co-convenor of INTACH told The Hindu .
The decision comes after a spirited campaign by civil society groups such as the People for Pondicherry Heritage that demanded urgent government action on the heritage front. In a five-part series, Saving a Global Heritage , that was launched with a preface by noted writer Akash Kapur on December 18, The Hindu had featured the views of a cross-section of stakeholders, including experts, on various aspects of heritage conservation.
While the government order notifying heritage buildings presents a welcome development, conservationists believe that this is only half the battle won. In a city that has prided itself on its French legacy and unique Franco-Tamil architectural heritage, the collapse of the 144-year-old Mairie on November 29, 2014, had served as a rude awakening to the perils of slackness in the conservation of landmarks.
It was not even the case that the demise came without warning. In 2009, a portion of the ceiling caved in prompting the relocation of the municipality office elsewhere.
As early as in 2012, the Mairie was assessed by experts to be in a precarious condition that required “immediate” structural and seismic strengthening. And, in an ironic twist, the 19th century structure fell within days of a Rs. 7.5 crore World Bank-aided restoration plan being launched.
Festival organised
There has undeniably been a reawakening of pride and awareness about the value of the city’s heritage thanks to efforts such as the three-day festival in February-March organised by residents group, People for Pondicherry’s Heritage, Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage (INTACH) and NGO PondyCAN, with support from the Department of Tourism, business establishments and residents from Puducherry.
Such an event was important to not lose the momentum that People for Pondicherry’s Heritage had gained, as Kakoli Banerjee, one of the spearheads of the civil society campaign, had noted at that time.
For civil society, not letting the conservation mandate slip away from the government priorities could be key to sustaining the city’s heritage.
“Heritage buildings need regular maintenance and the government has to allocate funds budget every year for their maintenance. Many heritage buildings in the Tamil and French quarters have deteriorated due to lack of maintenance,” Mr. Panda said.
The list includes old Band Stand, Aayi Mandapam, Foyer du Soldat, Raj Nivas,
Calve College
