If all goes as per plan, Puneites will be able to witness the past glory of the historical Shaniwarwada. The Shaniwarwada is said to have had a seven-storeyed building, that was gutted by a fire. The Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) has taken the first step and appointed noted set designer Nitin Desai as consultant for this project.

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The Shaniwarwada was once the seat of the Peshwa empire and is the most famous monument and a hallmark of Pune. The historical complex is said to have had a structure seven-storeys high made of teak wood. However, the structure was damaged in a fire and has never been rebuilt.

On Monday, the PMC decided to take the help of Nitin Desai in rebuilding the glorious structure.

The proposal of rebuilding the Shaniwarwada came from Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) corporator Hemant Rasne. Speaking to dna, Rasne said, “Pune has such a glorious history and Peshwas used to rule from here. The Shaniwarwada is the most famous historical monument of the city, but unfortunately we never preserved it. While worldwide, people take efforts to preserve their historical monuments, we kept neglecting the beautiful structure.”

“However, I felt it is high time we should think of not only preserving the existing structure, but also rebuilding the Shaniwarwada to what it was when first built,” Rasne said. Taking a decision on Rasne’s proposal, the standing committee of the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) approved the appointment of Desai.

“We have decided to appoint set designer Nitin Desai as a consultant to rebuild the Shaniwarwada. However, now the PMC will be approaching various departments for further approval to rebuild the historical monument,” said Vishal Tambe, chairman of PMC’s standing committee.

The PMC will have to take prior approval from the state and central governments. They PMC will also require a nod from the archaeology department as it is a heritage site.