NEW DELHI: Proposal to nominate Delhi as a world heritage city has revived interest in the century-old havelis in the Walled City area. While many buildings are in a dilapidated state as owners don’t have enough funds to maintain them, the Delhi government is now contemplating incentives and a funding scheme to help the owners restore these heritage structures.
The civic body has already come out with a list of 767 structures in Shahjahanabad (old Delhi), including havelis, mosques, schools, hospitals etc, which have been notified by the urban development department as protected heritage buildings. At least 30%-40% buildings that are on this list are privately-owned havelis, whose owners can avail the scheme once it is approved by the government.
“The idea is simple. Any haveli owners who want to restore their property can get a loan from the government and they will have to use a portion of their property for commercial purpose like museums, guesthouses, etc for a period up to five years. Only notified heritage buildings will be considered for this scheme,”a senior government official told Times Of India.
Havelis that are restored through the scheme will be advertised by the government as tourist spots in old Delhi. “It will also give visitors a chance to stay in a heritage haveli right there in the Walled City. There is a huge number of visitors, particularly foreign visitors, who would love to have such an experience,” as per the draft guidelines.
Shahjahanabad Redevelopment Corporation (SRDC) has mooted the proposal and is awaiting the government’s response to it. As per guidelines in the draft proposal, there will be no restrictions on the maximum capital investment on restoration of heritage buildings. “The notified heritage building assets shall be restored to its original appearance/facade in consultation with a conservation architect. It will be mandatory for the owners to commercially operate the restored heritage building for the next five years for… capital grant or concessional funding,” as per the draft proposal reports the TOI.
A committee that will approve the capital grant or concessional funding includes the principal secretary (finance), secretary UD, secretary tourism, MD SRDC, experts from art, culture, tourism, theatre, hospitality or museum and experts from the field of conservation, archaeology or urban planning.
The feasibility of using a heritage building as guesthouse/spa/restaurant/theatre/art gallery/museum/performing arts venue will be determined on the basis of a conservation plan designed to maintain authenticity and integrity of the structure. “The heritage building owners have to make an effort to support traditional crafts, skills, food, cuisines, ethos, culture and to provide opportunity to local craftsmen and skilled labour to ensure that economic benefits are transferred to the local communities. The owners also need to establish a database that includes history of past interventions, archaeological materials, architectural details, environmental information, ownership details etc,” a government official told the Times Of India.
Havelis that are restored through the scheme will be advertised by the government as tourist spots in old Delhi. “It will also give visitors a chance to stay in a heritage haveli right there in the Walled City. There is a huge number of visitors, particularly foreign visitors, who would love to have such an experience,” said the draft guidelines.
According to officials, the scheme has also pushed another proposal to notify the second list of buildings, mostly privately-owned havelis. Identified by Intach, the second list contains 738 structures that have been pending for notification for several years.
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