Kolkata

The Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) heritage conservation committee no longer exists. Even though the 11-member committee remains on paper, it has no legal status at present since a proposal for reconstruction of the committee has been sent to the new mayor Sovan Chatterjee for his approval. The municipal commissioner is waiting for a nod from the mayor for the reconstruction.

The reconstruction of the committee became necessary a few months ago when a section of the 11-member committee expressed a desire to quit. Some of the members who wanted to resign from the committee include noted historian Barun De who did so after becoming the chairperson of the West Bengal Heritage Preservation Commission. However, his resignation was not accepted. Besides, Gora Chand Mondal, the present director-general of the KMC buildings department, is due to retire in a couple of months. He should be replaced by another architect.

This apart, with Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee putting great stress on preserving the city’s heritage buildings, particularly in BBD Bag area, which is a national heritage zone, mayor Sovan Chatterjee is taking keen interest in the reconstruction of the KMC heritage conservation committee, which will be reset with renowned celebrities from different walks of the society.

According to sources in the KMC heritage conservation committee, the new panel has to resolve the enlistment of the heritage buildings and their classification. “So far, the committee has prepared a draft report on the enlistment of the city’s heritage buildings. It has to be sent to the state government for the necessary approval. Then, the KMC authorities will notify the already announced heritage buildings and wait for suggestions from experts and common people,” said a KMC official.

Municipal commissioner Arnab Roy felt that there was scope for enlistment of new heritage buildings according to their prominence and their delistment as well. “There is scope for enlistment or delistment of the city’s heritage buildings. But we need to preserve the city’s prominent heritage buildings in the best possible ways,” Roy said on July 09.

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