Architecture
GUIDELINES FOR THE OWNER OF HERITAGE BUILDINGS
As per international charters for restoration, preservation and conservation of historical builidngs, sites and monuments, Govt. of India is one of the signatories to follow the Charters made onward 1966. One of the important Charters is Venice Charter. Govt. of West Bengal enacted the West Bengal Town and Country (Planning & Development) Act in 1979 for planned development of Rural and Urban areas in West Bengal. Under this Act, in sub-clause 11 of clause (a) of Sub-Section 4 of Section 31, it has been mentioned that land use and development control plan is to be prepared for urban and rural areas as and when required that will indicate areas or buildings requiring preservation and conservation for historical, architectural, environmental, ecological & religious purposes. The West Bengal Heritage Commission Act, 2001 was implemented for that purpose and respective inclusion of the Act was made in the Howrah Municipal Corporation (Amendment) Act, 1999 (with effect from 17.04.2000) in its Section No. 183A-183P of Chapter XIIA.
Under the provision of Section 2, clause (14B) of the Howrah Municipal Corporation (Amendment) Act 1999, the definition for "Heritage Building" has been given as any building of one or more premises or any part thereof which requires preservation and conservation of historical, architectural and environmental or ecological purpose and includes such portions of the land adjoining such building or any part thereof as may be required for fencing or covering or otherwise preserving such building and also includes the areas and buildings requiring preservation and conservation for the purpose as aforesaid.
Definition of Heritage Conservation Committee means the Heritage Conservation Committee constituted under the Sub-Section 1 of the Section 183D of the said Act.
Inventory of Heritage Buildings
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Since a large part of India's cultural heritage has so far remained undocumented, preparing an inventory of heritage buildings worthy of preservation is the most important task. There are two types of Cards for listing:
(i) Index Card - Both in English and Bengali versions.
(ii) Proforma for recording Historical Properties Historical Properties during listing
Purpose of Listing
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The historical buildings require protection for restoration, preservation, etc as new developments always require additional spaces withing urban areas. To protect those structures it is important to make a list of historical structures. The main purpose of Listing is to assist municipalities, local bodies and development authorities in identification. There is a guideline for listing the heritage buildings or structres as per Act. The guidelines are as follows:
a) Examples as a work of art
b) Exceptional piece of architectures
c) A missing link for a technical development
d) Related with great events or eminent persons
e) As a precinct: where a group of buildings depicts certain period, functions and phenomenon.
f) More than 100 years old.
HERITAGE CONSERVATION COMMITTEE AND ITS MEMBERS
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The Heritage Conservation Committee was set up in 2002 as per The Howrah Municipal Corporation (Amendment) Act, 1999 (with effect from 17.04.2000) and vide Mayor-in-Council Meeting Decision no. 36 dated 19.04.2002. It consists of the following persons:
Chairman Convenor
Sri Durgadas Goswami Sri Basudeb Mukhopadhyay
Commissioner, Howrah Municipal Corporation Chief Architect, Howrah Municipal Corporation
4, Mahatma Gandhi Road, Howrah - 711 101. 4, Mahatma Gandhi Road, Howrah - 711 101.
Phone: 2641-3636, Fax: 2641-5846. Phone: 2641-2929 / 2641-6551.
Members
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Sri Pranab Kumar Mitra Dr. Goutam Sengupta
Director, Advance Planning Unit Directortorate of Archaeology & Museums
Fourth Floor, Unnayan Bhawan Dept. of Information & Cultural Affairs
Kolkata Metropolitan Development Authority Govt. of West Bengal
Salt Lake City 4th Floor, 33, Chittaranjan Avenue
Kolkata - 700 091. Kolkata - 700 012.
Phone: 2359-2622; 2337-1002; Extn. 270 Phone: 2211-6635; 2281-5553
Prof (Dr.) Manju Halder Sri Bijan Chowdhury
Dept. of Architecture & Regional Planning Artist
Bengal Engg & Science University Saheb Bagan, P.O.:Samabaypalli
Shibpur Botanical Garden Bally
Howrah - 711 103. Howrah - 711 205.
Phone: 2668-4561/62/63; Extn. 408 Phone: 2671-2040.
Sri Somnath Narayan Prof. Suman Bandopadhyay
Senior Environmental Engineer
W. B. Pollution Control Board (Howrah Regional Office) 53/1/3/1/3, Dharmatala Lane
7, Harideb Bhattacharjee Lane, Shibpur Shibpur
Howrah - 711 102. Howrah - 711 102.
Phone: 2678-6355/4677 Phone: 2642-7811
Sri Bijan Chakraborty Sri Arup Mukhopadhyay
Chief Engineer Chief Engineer
Howrah Municipal Corporation Howrah Improvement Trust
4, Mahatma Gandhi Road 19, G.T. Road (S)
Howrah - 711 101. Howrah - 711 101.
Phone: 2641-0830 Phone: 2641-1659
Invitee Members
Sri Gopal Mukherjee Sri Nisitendra Nath Som
Mayor, Professor, HUDCO Chair
Howrah Municipal Corporation Administrative Training Institute
4, Mahatma Gandhi Road 1st Fl., Annex Building, FC Block, Salt Lake City
Howrah - 711 101. Kolkata - 700 106.
Phone: 2641-1332 Phone: 2321-9359
LIST OF HERITAGE BUILDINGS IN HOWRAH MUNICIPAL CORPORATION AREA
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Initially CMDA published the following list of buildings in the Land Use and Development Control Plan as
List of areas and / or buildings requiring Preservation Conservation for historical, architectural, environmental or ecological point of view as follows. Later on, HMC in its MIC meeting, item no. 22 of dated 13.02.1999, Sl. No. 3 and Corporation Meeting dated 29.04.1999 in Item No. 1, declared the following buildings and sites as Heritage Buildings and sites.
1. Howrah Railway Station Building: on western bank of river Hooghly in the station campus.
2. Howrah Town Hall (At the Crossing of M.G. Road and Sri Harendra Kumar Sarani on the Southern Portion of the Central Office of HMC)
3. Howrah Telegraph Office Building (At the junction of Sri Harendra Kumar Sarani and M.G. Road and on south side of Bankim Setu flyover)
4. Colvin Court Building (On the north of Sri Harendra Nath Ghosh Sarani and inside Railway Colony)
Following structures are in Bengal Engineering & Science University, Shibpur Campus
5. Clock Tower
6. Madhusudan Bhavan
7. Workshop Building
8. Downing Hall
9. Heaton Hall
In addition to the above buildings, following water bodies are also heritage sites for ecological balance of environment.
10. Santragachi Jala
11. Padmapukur Jala
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