Delhi: Havelis
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In brief
The Times of India, Aug 27 2015
Richi Verma
City's havelis losing fight against neglect and nature The 150-year old haveli in Kucha Pati Ram that collapsed wasn't iconic just for its vintage. It had served as the backdrop of movies like Tanu Weds Manu and TV shows like Bahadurshah Zafar (aired on Doordarshan in the late 1980s), and commemorative events celebrating the life and works of Mirza Ghalib were regularly held here. Celebrities like Gulzar and Vishal Bhardwaj, too, visited it apart from scores of tourists who routinely came here to study unique havelis of the Walled City.
“Most havelis in the Walled City date to the post Mughal era. This one was among the first few to be built in the Walled City . It had a huge courtyard and small rooms, while in most havelis it's the other way around,“ said Vijay Singh, former deputy commissioner (City Zone) and advisor of a heritage charitable society. He had adopted the haveli many years ago and had been working on showcasing the heritage of these old buildings.
The haveli doubled as an interpretation centre and had pictures, old maps and drawings on the interior walls showcasing its rich past. “It was a common destination for heritage walk guides. The large courtyard was an added incentive,“ said an official.
Civic officials were still clearing the rubble on Wednesday afternoon, and inspection of the haveli wasn't possible. But they said three rooms in the front portion had collapsed while the courtyard was intact.Corporation officials didn't comment on the reason for collapse, but sources said seepage due to recent rains had weakened the walls. Many havelis are wither ing away due to decades of neglect. Owners can't afford to maintain them while civic agencies have looked away . Also, the Shahjahanabad Redevelopment Corporation that was set up to protect Old Delhi's heritage is yet to come up with a plan to preserve these havelis.
Many years ago, MCD had notified 767 heritage buildings, but never took any steps to preserve them.In 2007, Intach came out with a separate list of 738 privately-owned heritage havelis needing protection.With the list pending notification with the UD department for years, the number got reduced to 554 in 2014.
Kucha Pati Ram is known for houses with amazing facades, mostly dating to the early or late 19th century and early 20th centu ry. “The styles echo those of earlier centuries and give you a glimpse of how attractive and prosperous an Old Delhi residence used to be, says a description of the lane. Sadly , one of these grand reminders is now lost.
The state of the havelis/ heritage properties
2018
Paras Singh, Heritage crumbles as ambitions go sky high, April 10, 2018: The Times of India
From: Paras Singh, Heritage crumbles as ambitions go sky high, April 10, 2018: The Times of India
A municipal corporation team visited some of the eight heritage properties in the Walled City recently on Delhi high court’s orders. The team was accompanied by the court-appointed amicus curiae Anil K Aggarwal and the petitioner as well. TOI tagged along with the team.
The team was led by commissioner Madhup Vyas and deputy commissioner Ruchika Katyal. The first stop was the Haksar Haveli, which is better known locally as Nehru haveli. The original structure is no longer present, just old lakhori brick walls. Five different shops are operating from there. A multistorey building covered with tarpaulin sheet right next to the site has become a contentious plot. Abdul Mueed, the owner of this property located near Sadak Prem Narayan said they were being unnecessarily targeted. “Why pick on just these properties? If the petitioner is so interested in heritage, why don’t they help in redeveloping the Haksar Haveli, which contains tonnes and tonnes of rubble? We will help them,” Mueed said. The builder has been booked for violation.
Down the road on Katra Dinanath near Chowasi Ghanta Mandir, a seven-storey building is coming up at ‘Rajmahal’ where once there were old structures with “mihrabs and jaalis”. The owner who didn’t wish to be named said the old building had kuchha construction and it had become too dangerous. But he didn’t answer why he was building seven floors.
A large number of houses in the neighbourhood have similar violations. Corporation officials from City-Sadar Paharganj zone said they would keep track of the violations. “Action under DMC Act has already been initiated against all these eight properties. Some have been ‘booked’ while demolition notices have been issued to others. We had carried out demolitions on March 16 as large scale unauthorised construction was going on there,” an official said.
At places, the team was surrounded by locals who also resorted to sloganeering.
Aggarwal said he was satisfied with the inspection. “The commissioner has now seen the construction and he has to take action as per the file on a case by case basis. At some properties he was little afraid that commotion may happen but that is understandable considering the environment,” Aggarwal said, adding that the team had also taken notice of the rampant unauthorised constructions at other properties and the court would be informed accordingly. “Taking action against a few properties here and there will not solve the problem. The court will have to go to the root cause of the problem,” Aggarwal said.
Sanjay Bhargava, president of Chandni Chowk Sarv Vyapar Mandal, spoke about the urgent need of action against rampant unauthorised constructions ruining Walled City’s heritage. “We have always been after Shahjahanabad Redevelopment Corporation to stop this. All the havelis are being destroyed, and the builder lobby is hand in glove with the corporation,” Bhargava said He added, “Foreigners don’t come to see CP-like markets but places like Chandni Chowk. But look at the mess.”
