NEW DELHI, June 27: Every effort should be made to preserve and protect country’s glorious heritage and architectural properties, President Pranab Mukherjee has said.
The measures taken to conserve the Rashtrapati Bhavan should send out a strong message that every effort should be made to preserve and protect our glorious heritage and architectural master pieces, Mukherjee was quoted as saying in a press release issued by his office today.
He was speaking after receiving a Comprehensive Conservation Management Plan (CCMP) for the President’s Estate from Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage (INTACH) here yesterday.
The President, after assuming office, had personally instructed that a CCMP be prepared to serve as a blue print for all future constructions so as to restore the President’s Estate to the best extent possible, to its original plan as outlined by Sir Edward Lutyens and others.
INTACH was then engaged as Consultant for the purpose and Convenor of its Delhi Chapter Prof A G K Menon, harnessed a team of over 40 experts in the field of conservation, urban design, landscape, disaster management, infrastructure and services for the preparation of the report.
Its mandate was to identify the original planning principles of Rashtrapati Bhavan and its relation to the overall master plan of New Delhi in terms of urban and landscape design.
It was also instructed to establish the significance of existing layout vis-a-vis the original design intent, define view corridors, spaces and other features that establishes the heritage characteristics of the area to be conserved, provide guidelines for future development and draft a CCMP for the Bhavan.
After receiving the report, Mukherjee has asked his Secretariat to examine the report and draw up a time bound programme for the implementation of CCMP’s recommendations.
Secretary to the President, Omita Paul assured that every effort would be made to maintain and preserve the Rashtrapati Bhavan.
“Attempts would be made to rectify the mistakes of the past and ensure that there is no repetition of the same in future,” Paul said, adding that work has already begun to implement the recommendations of the report.
The executive summary to the CCMP notes that while the
status of Rashtrapati Bhavan as a Grade 1 Heritage Building defines the limits of intervention to conserve the building and the site, it also accommodates the highest office of the Government, including the residence of the President.
“This makes it a ‘living heritage’ building which creates genuine needs to cater to its efficient functioning,” it said.
The vision guiding the preparation of the CCMP has taken into account the wider context of the Estate and its contemporary functional needs.
As a ‘living’ heritage building the original design and layout has, been modified, because over the years, the functional role of Rashtrapati Bhavan precinct increased tremendously, both in size and complexity.
“By and large, however, in the process of incremental development over the years, the integrity of the original design has been respected, which enables the CCMP to make a credible case to conserve what remains,” suggested the plan report.
The CCMA stresses the importance and need for continuous maintenance to conserve the heritage characteristics of Rashtrapati Bhavan precincts. It also highlights the need for a dedicated Heritage Cell in the Central Public Works Department (CPWD). (PTI)
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