Dome to be heritage site: Gujarat HC

Justice MR Shah of the Gujarat high court has directed Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation (AMC) to preserve the historic Calico dome by restructuring it in its original design within a year.

The court also pointed out that the civic body cannot use this historic memorial for any other purpose.

The high court was hearing a petition filed by the AMC seeking permission to purchase the structure from the official liquidator of the Calico Mill. The official liquidator was looking after the assets of the closed mill.

The court issued many directives to preserve the Calico dome in its original form by allowing its purchase by the civic body for Rs30 lakh. The dome, which is situated on the Relief Road is in bad shape and is included in the list of heritage structures of the city.

This nearly 12-metre-wide structure formed a segmental dome, anchored at the edges, crowning over the steel tube space frame over the part-buried Calico mill shop. Built in 1962, the structure remained the epitome of the glory of textile mills .

 The official liquidator insisted on selling the structure according to market price. The state government had valued it at Rs1.20 crore. However, the  court accepted the AMC’s argument that the value of the heritage structure can't be evaluated as per market pricing.