Dwarfed by new buildings,it still grabs eyeballs

The old Mumbai-Pune highway might have undergone a sea change from the time it came into existence.

The old Mumbai-Pune highway might have undergone a sea change from the time it came into existence. But against the backdrop of plush shopping complexes and IT towers,there is one structure none can miss at Wakdewadi,the old water tower as Puneites know it,which used to store water for the famous Jehangir Bungalow.

It is a structure from the British era and part of the Jehangir Bungalow. It is an architectural marvel. I got an opportunity to visit the bungalow a few decades back. The bungalow is concealed by shopping complexes. The tower has been representing the era gone by, said Advocate N K Bhog,closely associated with Jehangirs,the owners of the structure.

Known details of the construction of the tower date back 140 years. The tower has a water tank on top and stairs to reach the tank. The tower would supply water to the bungalow and what makes it noticeable is its British architecture. The Heritage Committee of the Pune Municipal Corporation has registered the water tank as a Grade II heritage structure. Such a structure with environmental or architectural relevance cannot be demolished. In case circumstances make it mandatory to demolish it,the heritage committee has to give the nod. Earlier,the structure was isolated from the road. It came on the road about five years ago,during Nitin Kareers tenure as PMC commissioner. Activists had then approached us about safety of the structure. Taking apart the structure and reconstructing it would have been a costly affair and that is why it was decided to keep it intact at the same location, said Shyam Dhavale,executive engineer,Heritage Committee,PMC.

Traffic on Mumbai-Pune road has grown over the decades but the structure is not known to have caused any traffic related problems. The city has over 250-300 heritage structures. Two more such water towers are present at the Engineering College as well as Sassoon Hospital.

We have not been taking any precautionary measures for protection of the tower as the structure is strong enough. Traffic is not known to have caused any deterioration of the structure. We have no plans to move it from the present location, added Dhavale.

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