Medical institute in a soup for 'razing' heritage building

The Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage (INTACH) has received a complaint against the Meena Devi Jindal Medical Institute authorities for demolishing almost the entire rear portion of the building without seeking proper permissions. The colonial-era building of the institute has been listed as a heritage site.

Located on 20 Shamnath Marg, Civil Lines, the heritage structure was built in 1890 and is currently owned by the Jindal Group. A charitable dispensary is being run in the premises since 1981, and it receives 80-100 patients a day. Currently, it has three visiting doctors — two are general physicians and one is a dentist. The old building has a medical laboratory and an X-Ray machine. The rear rooms are not in use at present because of the ongoing repair work.

When a DNA team reached the spot, it found that such demolition was indeed going on. The dispensary was being run in the front while the rear end of the building was in shambles. Many wooden doors and windows had been removed and serious alterations were being made in the original rooms.

The 'repair' work, which has been going on for the last three months, has tampered with the architecture of the building and it might not be possible to restore the original identity of the building at all. The 9,000 sqm area also has some houses which, according to staffers, are owned by the institute employees. This encroachment of the heritage building may have encouraged the repair work.

Denying reports of demolition, Vivek Jain, who has been employed at the institute for the last 12 years, said, "We do basic repair work every once in a while for the maintenance of the building."

The building is listed as no.13 under Grade II buildings, Zone C, under the Delhi Gazette Notification Dated 25.2.2010. The laws governing the repair/modification etc. or heritage buildings of different grades are found under the Unified Building Bye-Laws for Delhi, under Gazette Notification of 22 March 2016.

he complainant, who has requested anonymity, also stated in his written complaint to INTACH that the plot on which the institute was located was in a legal dispute with the Delhi Development Authority (DDA), under the Government of India, and the case was pending in the Supreme Court. INTACH has now written to the civic body in the area to look into the matter and halt the work, if needed.

"INTACH frequently gets such reports and complaints, which we forward to the authorities concerned. But the building bylaws can be legally enforced only by the municipal authorities under the guidance of the Heritage Conservation Committee, not by a non-governmental organisation like INTACH," said Swapna Liddle, Convenor, INTACH, Delhi Chapter.

In its building bylaws, the Delhi government states, "Any changes to a heritage place must respect its significant elements. Additions, alterations and any new development should complement the building's original scale, form, and massing. The original or significant elements should be identifiable so that future generations can understand the story of the place."

Before giving permissions for any repair work at a heritage building, objections and suggestions from the public should be invited, which shall be considered by the Heritage Conservation Committee.

Violation of these rules invites punishment, in addition to penal action provided under the concerned Act. No permission to construct any new building can be granted on the site, if a heritage building or building in a heritage precinct is damaged or pulled down without appropriate permission from the authorities.