Heritage conservation needs clarity. Will a new city panel address it?

Heritage is a tricky tag, meaning different things to different people. But before anyone destroys something with a potential to get this tag, why not define what it really means, frame rules and conserve it?

Is the Heritage Conservation Committee (HCC) proposed by the new BBMP Act the way forward?

For districts outside Bengaluru, the Zonal Regulations (Amendment) (CRA), 2020, made it simple to conserve heritage sites and structures, buildings and even natural features. They just had to set up the HCC to come up with a list of heritage structures graded on their heritage value.

But in Bengaluru, the act mandated that the HCC’s role should be taken up by the Bangalore Urban Arts Commission (BUAC), a three-member panel that folded up in 2002. There is no clarity yet on reviving the commission.

The CRA categorises heritage structures as those of national/historical importance (Grade I), regional/local importance (Grade II) and buildings/precincts of important townscapes (Grade III). This will apply to Bengaluru, too, but without a HCC it will not move an inch forward.

Campaigning for years to set up a robust heritage conservation mechanism for the city, the HeritageBeku collective had hoped the Revised Master Plan (RMP-2031) would make a difference. “We wanted to create a foundation that is responsive and find ways to make the mechanism viable,” notes Priya Chetty-Rajagopal from the collective.

The RMP is still in the draft stage and the ambiguity continues.

Meanwhile, Priya prefers a bottom-up approach to activate heritage conservation. “We had come up with a ward-level manifesto for heritage, integrating with walkability and cyclability, creating ownership and participation among the community in a small area,” she explains.

Feel a connection

The concept is simple. Communities at the ward level identify the heritage structures, sites and traditions and find ways to take up ownership. “When you walk and cycle through these sites, you are connected. You take pride in conserving what you see and love.”

The earlier draft of the RMP-2031 had elaborated in detail about heritage conservation. But HeritageBeku had issues with the proposed HCC’s constitution.

“The citizen/professional representation on this committee should be 50% of its total strength. We propose that the total number in the committee be increased to 12 to have adequate representation from both the bureaucracy and citizenry,” the collective had noted in its objections.

The committee’s advisory nature was also contested. The collective wanted it to be an independent authority empowered with legal powers to protect the city’s heritage. It had also sought a new Heritage Conservation Act on the lines of what exists in Mumbai, Hyderabad and Ahmedabad, and an immediate amendment of the Karnataka Town and Country Planning Act, 1961.

The earlier draft RMP had identified heritage buildings and zones in the city, but without a plan to compensate the owners in financial distress. As Priya recalls, this led to the demolition of many heritage structures.

“The list is not perfect. But at least let’s make a beginning with it. The HCC or BUAC need to be constituted as soon as possible. The list was pruned, removing residential buildings fearing objections. That is not a solution. We can start with the low-hanging ones, the government and institutional buildings,” suggests Meera Iyer from the Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage (INTACH).

Compensating the heritage property owners need creative solutions. The government may not be able to give the market rates. “They can incorporate a clause where the building can be put to commercial use such as a small café or a homestay, keeping the structure intact. The owner wants economic viability,” says Meera.

The rules, she says, should be transparent enough to ensure that the owners do not feel that their rights are trampled upon. “They should not feel they are losing control of their house, where bureaucratic delays make them go around even to change a tile.”