Indian Express: Pune: Monday, September 30, 2013.
Even as the
State Archaeology Department is drawing flak for its failure to protect the
Rajguru wada, the birth place of freedom fighter Rajguru, there is a question
mark on its efforts to preserve Pune’s heritage. Documents procured under the
Right to Information (RTI) Act 2005 show that although the department is a
member of the Urban Heritage Committee of the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC),
a representative of the department was present only in one of the 56 meetings
of the committee held in the past three years.
Headed by
former director-general of archaeology, D N Mandlekar, the heritage committee
has 11 members, which include prominent architects, historians and
conservationists. PMC City Engineer Prashant Waghmare by virtue of his position
is the member secretary of the committee. Architects Avinash Sobani, Hemant Mahajan
and Vaishali Latkar are members. Shyam Dhawale, in-charge of the heritage cell
of Pune, along with botanist Shrikankt Ingalhalikar and RCC consultant Bal
Kulkarni are also members.
Representatives
from INTACH, Deccan College and State Archaeology Department are members of
this committee, which shapes the policy and procedure for heritage conservation
within PMC limits.
Minutes of
the meetings of the committee, accessed under RTI, show that since 2010, there
have been 56 meetings of the committee. Other than the one on September 12,
2012, the State Archaeology Department had not been present in any of the
meetings. In fact, in the above time, the meeting of the committee was cancelled
once (January 9, 2012) for want of quorum.
The minutes
state that on August 22, 2012, the president of the committee Mandlekar had
taken strong objection to the absence of members and officials from the
meetings. He has been quoted as saying that as the committee has
representations from various important and learned quarters, it is expected
that members make themselves available for it.
V N Kamble,
assistant director of archaeology, said as the officers of the department are
often out on field work, they are not able to attend the meetings. “Also, we do
not get ample intimation of the meetings,” he said.
Dhawale
agreed to the absence of the department and said timely intimation is sent to
the officers. “Their presence is necessary as they can help us preserve our
structures,” he said.
Former member
of the committee Sujit Patwardhan felt that both the state department and the
PMC are not serious about heritage conservation. “The heritage committee as it
is has lost its teeth and has only powers of recommendation.”
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