Guwahati citizens criticise demolition of Assam's heritage site 'Mahafezkhana'; CM calls it 'symbol of slavery'

Guwahati: The demolition of one of Assam's oldest surviving concrete structure, 'Mahafezkhana' (record room), on the banks of the Brahmaputra in Guwahati has sparked an outcry among the people of the city, with some citizens criticising the government for "not protecting" the historic structure.

Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Sunday defended the government's action and maintained that it was a 'symbol of gulami' (slavery) and "not an archaeological site".

The structure has been reportedly demolished as part of the Brahmaputra riverfront beautification project by the Guwahati Metropolitan Development Authority (GMDA).

The Mahafezkhana finds mention in a coffee table book, 'Forever Guwahati', published by the GMDA in 2014, which states that though there is no official record of the year of construction, it is believed to have come up after 1855.

"With 20-inch thick walls, it was one of two structures in the city that withstood the 1897 earthquake. The 86ft by 77ft record room served as a ready archive, containing maps, administrative orders and all kinds of land records," it said.

The Mahafezkhana was apparently demolished about a year back, with another structure located in the same premise taken down a few days ago, as per GMDA sources.

The matter has been highlighted on social media by citizens, questioning the need for demolishing the structure when it could have been developed as part of the riverfront beautification project.

"OUTRAGEOUS! #Mahafezkhana — Assam's oldest concrete structure (1855), possibly NE India's oldest, razed by GMDA for a park. Survived 1897 & 1950 quakes, stood on 45-ft sal beams, wrapped in a verandah, guarding records for 170+ yrs. Now destroyed. A crime against heritage," author Mrinal Talukdar posted on X.

"Not a whisper, not a plaque, not a second thought — just bulldozed by the authorities, erasing one of Assam's most important surviving physical links to its colonial and administrative past," Talukdar added.

The chief minister maintained that the symbols of colonial rule need to be taken down.

"Some of the property built by the British needs to be taken down. There is no point in keeping these as they are symbols of 'gulami' (slavery)," he said.

"DC bungalow, DFO bungalow, all these are symbols of 'poradhinota' (enslavement). Prime minister Modi ji has also said that there is no point in protecting these," Sarma added.

The chief minister also claimed that the Mahafezkhana was not an archaeological site.

Social activist and author Sanjib Kumar Borkakoti also expressed his outrage at the dismantling of the structure.

"The demolition of Guwahati's Mahafezkhana is unfortunate. Heritage buildings should be protected. Brahmaputra riverfront beautification could have been carried out even while keeping the structure intact," he said.

National award-winning filmmaker Utpal Borpujari, also taking to social media against the demolition of the structure, said, "What 1857 and 1950 quakes couldn't achieve.....we as a community have no respect for heritage and history." "It could have been restored, converted to a museum-cafe and preserved. But who bothers? Our civil society, media - nobody speaks out on such matters to create public opinion. A few like us may do social media outraging, and that will be the end of the story," he added.

Referring to the GMDA's coffee table book, Borpujari added, "@GMDAGuwahati , which apparently is the agency that demolished it, itself has glowing words for the building in its coffee table book on #Guwahati."