World Heritage Day: Indore Municipal Corporation using city’s heritage building premises for parking garbage vans

Indore (Madhya Pradesh): While the world is celebrating World Heritage Day today, the way IMC is using some of its priceless heritage buildings is nothing short of shameful.

Three buildings in the city are getting spoilt as they are being used as government offices. The buildings are Ameen Saheb Ki Kachehri in Bakshi Bagh, Hawa Bangla and Manik Bagh Palace.

Historian and conservationist Zafar Ansari and founder of Zafar Ansari Museum of Indore said, “Ameen Sahib Ki Kachehri built in 1929 during the Holkar era is located in the Bakshi Bagh area. It was earlier used as a boiler office and mining office. A few years ago, the Indore Municipal Corporation started using the building premises as a parking lot for its vehicles.”

Significantly, there was a beautiful garden and a stepwell in front of this building, but now it is being used as a dump room by the IMC.

“It is very sad that we are using our historical buildings in this way. I suggest that we should renovate this building and use it as a library, museum, and science park,” said Ansari.

Another heritage building Hawa Bangla was built by Maharaja Shivaji Rao Holkar in 1884 for Rs 1 lakh. The Hawa Bangla at the highest point of Indore was built for hunting and resting during summer. The flow of cool air remains continuous on Hawa Bangla, hence its name.

Ansari said the building has more than 25 rooms and provides a very beautiful view of the entire Indore city. A few years back Indore Municipal Corporation started using it as a zonal office for Rajendra Nagar Zone No 14. Ansari suggested that this building could be developed as a planetarium with beautiful gardens surrounding it.

The world-famous Manik Bagh Palace continues to be used as the Central Excise Office. The very old Rampur Kothi was being used as the RTO of Indore for a long time, due to which it became dilapidated.

“When people are engaged in saving and preserving historical buildings in the country and the world, the condition of these buildings in Indore is very bad. Officials and public representatives must take cognizance in this matter”

- Zafar Ansari, Historian and conservationist

 “We will develop a concrete plan to conserve these buildings and protect our heritage”

- Abhishek Sharma ‘Bablu’, MiC Member

“The buildings are not under the archaeology department and the department is not responsible for them. They do have a great historic significance but they are now not in our hands.”

- Devi Prasad Pandey, Official, Directorate of Archaeology, Archives and Museums