Plans to protect Pune’s 125 heritage structures

Talking to The Indian Express, City Engineer Madhav Harihar said that the "draft regulations" have been forwarded before the city improvement committee. After the committee’s approval, the regulations would be tabled before the civic general body meeting and after its sanction, the administration would call for suggestions and objections from the citizens. The regulations would be put into force with a prior sanction of the state government, he added.

The nine-member HCC, headed by former municipal commissioner P S Palande, includesShivshahir Babasaheb Purandare, Y S Sane, Subash Bonde, G K Kanhere, Narendra Dengle, Sujit Patwardhan, Harihar and the Assistant director of the Pune office of the Archaeological Survey of India.

Harihar said that 66 heritage structures have been identified as structures of "grade one" category while 59 have been identified as "grade two" category. The list of the heritage structures to be included in the "grade three" category is yet to be prepared by the committee.

The list of heritage buildings of all the three categories shall be supplemented from time to time by the commissioner and the by the State government on the advice of the HCC. The plans and maps of the heritage buildings will carry a special stamp declared "special heritage properties", Harihar said.

The grade one category comprises of buildings and precincts of national and historic importance like the Shaniwarwada, which can be termed as the prime landmarks in the city. The grade two category comprises of buildings of regional or localimportance like the S P college, possessing special architectural or aesthetical merit and of historic/cultural value, though of a lower scale as compared to the grade one category.

The grade three category will include buildings and precincts of importance of town scape, those contribute to determine the character of the locality and can be representative of the life style of a particular community or region.

Several restrictions on construction activities in and around these structures have been proposed in the draft regulation for conservation of the artefacts.

THE MAJOR REGULATIONS:- No widening of the existing roads under the municipal corporation act or in the development plan/master plan for the city, shall be carried out in a manner which may affect the existing heritage buildings.

If there are any reservations in the DP, shown on heritage buildings, the same will not be implemented. The Municipal commissioner shall move State government to get these reservations deleted.

Nodevelopment, redevelopment, alteration, renovation including painting, plastering and demolition of a part of the heritage buildings shall be allowed, except with prior written permission of the Municipal commissioner.

In case of religious buildings, alterations and renovation required on religious grounds may be permissible, provided they are in consonance with original structure.

Buildings included in the heritage precincts shall maintain the skyline in the precinct, without any high rise development as may be existing in the surrounding area, so as not to diminish the value of the said heritage building and heritage precinct.

If the owner agrees to maintain and repair the heritage buildings, he may be allowed to convert part or the whole thereof the non-commercial area in the heritage building for commercial purposes. However, if the commercial activity is likely to spoil the value of the building, the permission for the commercial purposes shall be disallowed.

With a view to give a monetary aid tothe owners to repair and maintain the heritage structures a separate "Heritage Conservation Fund" would be created, which would be kept at the disposal of the municipal commissioner. Out of the total TDR sanctioned to the owner, ten percent value of the TDR shall be transferred to the Fund.

The commissioner shall have the right to remove any unauthorised construction in the heritage property.