The Hindu Business Line : KMC to come out with fresh list of heritage structures soon

LOST HERITAGE: The hulk of the old Currency Office in BBD Bagh (formerly Dalhousie Square) East. Built in the 1870s, the edifice built in the Italian style of architecture was the Office of Issue and Exchange of Government Paper Currency in British India. It was a landmark of the area till demolition work was ordered by a Government department in the closing decades of the 20th Century. The work was stopped following a public outcry, and the building has remained standing half-demolished ever since. It is today listed among the heritage buildings of Kolkata. — Ranabir Ray Choudhury

Kolkata May 6 Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) plans to come out with a fresh list of heritage structures in the city within next three to four months, according to sources in KMC.

The current list, which was prepared in 2001-02, consists of nearly 1,300 heritage structures. However, according to KMC sources, "some of these (buildings) have already been demolished and KMC will prepare a fresh list of heritage structures in the city."

"The current list has been prepared based on popular perception and feedback from the public. In most cases, the existence of the building was not verified. We are now revisiting those sites to check the current status of these buildings," a senior KMC official told Business Line.

"We are hopeful that in the next three to four months we will be able to display the list publicly," the official added. According to him, heritage structures in the northern part of the city were mostly affected. However, he declined to give any statistical idea of how many such buildings have already been demolished.

The KMC Commissioner, Mr Alapan Bandopadhyay, was not available for comment.

According to sources, of these 1,300 buildings, KMC till date has inspected 775 and has taken a decision on 200 odd buildings. "Verification work has started only in May 2006," sources said.