City heritage list to include 900 more structures

The Mumbai Metropolitan Region Heritage Conservation Society (MMR-HCS) had,as early as 2005,taken up the task of revising the ten-year-old heritage list which was restricted to structures in South Mumbai. Besides structures of heritage value in the suburbs,the new list also recommends heritage listing for key open spaces,statues and bridges.

The MMR-HCS had submitted the final list to the heritage committee,by which time several structures had to be struck off the list as they were either demolished or altered in a way that they lost their unique features. These structures include thespian Dilip Kumar’s bungalow at Pali Hill,the Mantralaya building and many quaint bungalows spread across Bandra-Khar,Hindu Colony,Parsi Colony and Shivaji Park in Dadar. The heritage committee had fine-tuned the list further and forwarded it to the government.

Sources from the heritage committee said the government’s failure to notify the revised heritage list immediately may have already cost the city a few structures as owners of private structures recommended for listing may have already allowed builders to redevelop the buildings before they are listed.

“Many textile mill structures that have been demolished had to be taken off the revised list recently. The final list has been reviewed to reflect all the structures that no longer exist on ground or have been demolished for reconstruction,” a committee member said.

Marine Drive,a landmark that has been proposed for a heritage precinct listing,is awaiting the government’s seal of approval for more than two years now.