In Patna, looking back with fondness: Heritage structures razed to raise new buildings, rare pieces set to find museum space

One of the now-razed buildings in the Collectorate complex is the British-era Patna District Magistrate’s office, which got featured in the Oscar-winning film ‘Gandhi’.

Chief Minister Nitish Kumar had said that some of these structures, once used to store opium, are not worth preserving. Now the Patna district administration has written to the director of Bihar Museum to preserve some rare pieces of Dutch- and British-era history, including a steam road roller once used by the district board.

The road roller, manufactured by John Fowler and Co, Leeds, England, is at present gathering moss and dust in front of the historic District Engineer’s Office building, situated on the banks of the Ganga.

A road roller, manufactured by John Fowler and Co, Leeds, England, is among the articles that will be preserved. (Express photo by Ashok Sinha)

Among other articles that may be preserved by the Directorate of Museum are a British-era vintage ornamental spiral staircase on its western facade, four huge colonial-era safety vaults, an old wall clock, and a Dutch-era hanging skylight.

A vintage safety vault, manufactured back in Britain, was embedded in the wall of the now-demolished registry office building. Another safety vault was embedded in the district board building, which was the first structure to be bulldozed.

“We have requested the Director, Museums of Bihar. He is working on it,” Patna District Magistrate Chandra Shekhar Singh told The Indian Express. “An expert will inspect and provide his opinion, and a decision will be taken thereafter.”

Singh said experts will prepare the list of articles that can be preserved.

Director, Museums of Bihar, Deepak Anand confirmed receiving the proposal from the district administration. He said: “The road-roller is surely one of the rare articles we wish to preserve and display at Patna Museum. But there are other rare things, too, and their lists are being prepared. Once experts inspect them, we will bring Dutch- and British-era articles to Patna Museum.”

Asked whether the government will take them to the newer Bihar Museum, built under Nitish Kumar, Anand said, “For now, we wish to keep them at Patna Museum.”

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The demolition tale goes back to May 13, when the Supreme Court rejected a plea by The Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage (INTACH), which had been waging a legal battle since 2019 to save the landmark buildings from demolition.

The demolition began the following day, and the British-era District Board building was the first to be pulled down by May 17. In all, eight buildings, including two post-Independence structures, have been fully or partially demolished.

The heritage structure was demolished over the last two months, overriding opposition from heritage activists, who had taken the matter, unsuccessfully, to court. (Express photo by Ashok Sinha)