Mumbai’s 65-million-year-old Gilbert Hill in Andheri is being threatened by the builder brigade. The Mumbai Heritage Conservation Committee (MHCC) has received a proposal by architect LR Patkar to construct a private residential complex around Gilbert Hill.
MHCC chairman Dinesh Afzalpurkar said: “We have received a proposal for the construction of a residential complex around Gilbert Hill. But we have decided to visit the site first.”
Apart from being a Grade-II heritage structure, Gilbert Hill was placed on the heritage list of natural monuments and the Maharashtra Tourism Development Corporation (MTDC) wanted to turn it into a tourist site, as it has an excellent view of Mumbai from its top.
However, the civic sources said, “Grading cannot prevent
committee from considering the proposal. There are SRA projects coming up around that hill. It’s not possible that nothing can come up around heritage areas.”
Sharada Dwivedi, a city historian and former member of MHCC, said: “Similar proposals have come up before the heritage panel in the past. I know that when such a proposal comes, certain parameters need to be drawn out. One can’t have development all around Gilbert Hill.”
Dwivedi said the state government had diluted all heritage regulations to such an extent that all grade III structures have gone out of the purview of heritage committee.
“Why do we waste our energy and time [trying to preserve heritage monuments] when there is this wonderful nexus between builder lobby and our elected representatives? At the end of it, we will be left with only Gothic buildings. We are shameless, and we will leave nothing for the next generation in terms of heritage. The word heritage is being obliterated,” said Dwivedi.
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