Revision as of 20:48, 8 July 2015

Darya Khan/Kidwai Nagar

Graphic courtesy: The Times of India

Graphic courtesy: The Times of India

The Times of India Jun 18 2015

Richi Verma

Rescue of 16th-century monument caught in red tape

Covered under a cloud of dust ema nating from the heavy construc tion work for Kid wai Nagar's rede velopment is a 16th century monument--forgotten and surrounded by unkempt grass and a pile of garbage. Years of neglect has left parts of Darya Khan Lohani's Tomb, one of the prime properties of the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI), crumbling.Today, situated right in the centre of the construction area, this tomb rarely finds any visitor. Part of a complex, the tomb is also the resting place of other no bles of the Delhi Sultanate like Mubarak Shah, Kale Khan, Bade Khan, Chhote Khan and Bhuiyan Khan of the Lodhi dynasty . With its unusual architectural style, its four-domed chhatris and a raised platform with an unmarked grave make this structure striking. Now, three of the chhatris are in ruins and the decorative artwork and ornamentation have vanished. The cement patches speak of the conservation work of the past.

As the National Monuments Authority guidelines state that 100m area around the protected monuments should be devoid of construction, experts feel that if the 14 acres of the green area around the monument is developed properly, it could be an ideal tourist destination. An official with National Buildings Construction Cor poration--the organization undertaking the Kidwai Nagar redevelopment said, “The tomb is a cen trally-protected one and we have to be very cau tious. We told ASI that we wanted to adopt the g reen area around the monu ment because it might not be able to maintain it. We proposed installing lights and fountains. We also said we wanted to conserve the monument and maintain the tomb.But, while ASI agreed to let us develop and maintain the green belt, they refused permission to conserve the monument.“

“We had proposed hiring a consultant to conserve the monument as NBCC does not have the expertise or experience to preserve historic buildings. It would, obviously, have been done with the consultation and guidance of ASI, but it refused,“ he added.

Da ASI, though, is Marg apprehensive. A senior ASI official Dilli obindo Haat said, “We welcome corporates INA wanting to adopt Aur monuments through national Sri culture fund. In AIIMS case of the tomb, we have concerns over the conservation work they would do. They would not have the technical expertise, so we would want to handle the structural conservation in-house.“

Barring Humayun's Tomb, ASI's projects with other organizations wanting to adopt monu ments have fallen flat.

SAIL's agreement for Lodi Garden was stalled, Park Hotels' effort at Jantar Mantar never took off and an IOCL fund ing for Qutub Minar are some stark ex amples.

Calling ASI's refusal “unfortu nate“, a conserRoad vationist said, “Anyone can do better than the past cement-based repairs carried out by the ASI. This has only led to further col lapse. It is a pity that no body at ASI can be held accountable and there seems no interest or sys tems within ASI for self-monitoring. It is unfortunate that the ASI refuses suppor t from an agency capable of bringing together professionals and craftsmen ca pable of under taking conservation.“

Meanwhile, the ASI has been facing shortage of manpower and resources. It had, earlier, stated that they were clearly ill-equipped to handle the conservation and main tenance of 3,600 plus centrally protected monuments. Delhi, alone, has 174 monuments. “We are hoping to augment our manpower shortage problem, said an official, when questioned. Experts, however, pointed out that a request for ad ditional 10,000 attendants by ASI has been pending for over a decade.

Defence Colony

Masjid Basti Baoli

The Times of India, Jul 05 2015

Amin Ali

Built in 1488, this mosque has had its share of ups and down. The mosque used to get only a handful of people when the present imam took over. It had a railway line running next to it and was surrounded by vast secluded stretches. “It used to be scary post sunset, especially with hardly any company,“ recalls imam Eisa. As a way to overcome this problem, a madrassa was started within the premises so that the imam would have students for company in namaaz.

Just as the neighbourhood markets started emerging as popular retail and dining destinations in the city , the mosque too became the place to pray for professionals in the area.

“Most of the people who pray in Masjid Basti Baoli are workers who come from different parts of the city. The mosque is a meeting point for such people to fulfil their religious duties and get a feel of community ,“ says Adnan Ansari, a regular.