Ramshackle heritage of Shimla

Pratibha Chauhan

Dotted with architectural masterpieces, remnants of the British Raj, the erstwhile summer capital of the British takes pride in its glorious inheritance. However, if timely steps are not taken to save its crumbling heritage, these century-old structures can soon be a thing of the past.

A total of 97 century-old buildings, designated as heritage structures through a notification of the Town and Country Planning Department in August 2002, are facing severe dilapidation. Barring a handful of these structures, all others, both government as well as private, are fading away, with some already in a shambles.

Funds crunch

Designating buildings as ‘heritage’ alone will not help in protecting them from destruction. Their proper repairs, maintenance and conservation will have to be undertaken if these monumental structures are to be saved for posterity. But then the problem is how to raise the huge amount of funds required for the upkeep and maintenance of these structures.

Unfortunately, various government agencies remain blissfully oblivious to the fact that Shimla will lose its charm, if devoid of these beautifully designed buildings. The hill city also referred to as the “Queen of Hills” has attained global fame primarily due to the fact that it remained the seat of the British Government, pre-Independence.

Victim of govt neglect

Various heritage buildings such as the Indian Institute of Advanced Study (IIAS), Raj Bhawan, Rothney Castle and US Club are steeped in history by virtue of some historic events taking place here, but these are falling apart. In the absence of urgent intervention, many of these building are on the verge of collapse, being the victim of government apathy.

Heritage Zone

The Town and Country Planning Department had notified 97 buildings as heritage structures in August 2002. Later, a fresh survey with the help of INTACH was undertaken and the number of heritage buildings increased to 329. But the list was finally screened and many buildings, which were similar and existed in a cluster in one colony, were counted as one. This again brought the number down to 97. A plaque, detailing the historical importance, date of construction and style of architecture, was placed outside all the 97 notified buildings. Besides, notifying the built-up historical structures, the natural heritage, including waterfalls and water channels, were also mentioned in the list.

Restrictions on construction

Besides designating these buildings as heritage structures, the Town and Country Planning Department also designated the stretch from the Secretariat in Chotta Shimla to the gate of the Indian Institute of Viceregal Lodge as a Heritage Zone. Restrictions were imposed on the construction of new buildings or structures and also on the repair or alteration of the old ones in the 25 metres area on either side of the road.

The creation of the Heritage Zone did help in protecting the buildings along this route from vanishing or their façade being changed. The restoration and conservation of Gaiety Theatre, known as the Amateur Dramatics Club (ADC) during the British Raj, and Town Hall, which houses the offices of Mayor and Deputy Mayor, have been preserved under conservation projects.

Though heritage buildings such as the IIAS, Raj Bhawan, Oak Over, Armsdale, which are government owned, are still in a better condition but the same can’t be said of privately-owned properties.

Darbhanga House needs repairs

Some of other iconic British-time buildings, which house schools such as Loreto Convent Tara Hall, Convent of Jesus and Mary, Chalet Day School, St Edward’s, Bishop Cotton School and Auckland House are still better preserved. However, even these schools are finding it difficult to shell out money to maintain the heritage buildings on their campuses. They have built new structures to cater to growing requirements but conserving the heritage buildings remains a challenge for them. A portion of Loreto Convent School called Darbhanga House is a heritage building and is in dire need of repairs. Though some work has been undertaken to save the building, a lot of money will be required to protect the entire structure.

IIAS portions dilapidated

Portions of the IIAS are also facing severe dilapidation with wood having decayed and seepage from roofs causing much damage. It is hoped that the iconic building will finally be conserved, as the Union Ministry of Human Resource Development has approved more than Rs 3 crore for the purpose.

Conservation committee

A Heritage Conservation Advisory Committee was constituted on August 6, 2006, to protect all heritage buildings of importance in Shimla and ensure their restoration strictly in compliance with the regulations. It was specified that buildings, which have historical importance and possess distinct architectural designs, façade, elevation and religious as well as tourism importance and are linked to our past, were to be protected.

Any plan for conservation, restoration, repair or minor alteration in all such buildings has to be approved by this committee. It had approved the projects for the restoration of Gaiety Theatre, Town Hall and Raj Bhawan.

Panel jurisdiction extended

Last year, the state government decided to extend the jurisdiction of the Shimla Heritage Advisory Committee to the entire state so as to preserve and conserve precious monuments, especially of the British era, from degradation. However, there has been little progress ever since and committees at the district level are yet to be constituted.

Dilapidated and fast deteriorating historical structures such as Akhand Chandi Palace in Chamba and many buildings in Mandi town have become a cause for concern for citizens. It is being felt that the government must take steps to protect these buildings from further dilapidation. Even other British-time towns such as Kasauli, Dharamsala-Yol and Dalhousie have several heritage buildings, most of them run-down.

ADB-funded projects

Gaiety Theatre was also called the Amateur Dramatics Club during the British rule; it was the first heritage structure to be protected under a conservation project.

More recently, the century-old iconic Town Hall building on The Mall Road, which houses the offices of Mayor and Deputy Mayor of the Shimla Municipal Corporation, was conserved at a cost of Rs 7 crore provided by Asian Development Bank (ADB). The Himachal High Court has now ordered that a high-end café, reading centre and a handicraft boutique may be set up in the restored building rather than handing it back to the Municipal Corporation for running its various offices. Only the Mayor and the Deputy Mayor have been allowed to have their offices in the restored building.

Restoration of two churches

An Rs 15-crore restoration and conservation project to save both Catholic Church located near the Army Training Command and Christ Church on The Ridge has failed to take off. Asian Development Bank had approved the project, to be undertaken by the Tourism and Civil Aviation Department. However, the project to conserve the two churches, which are amongst the most prominent landmarks of the town, had to be shelved owing to the ownership dispute for these. This was despite the fact that a lot of preliminary work had already been done, especially in the case of the Catholic Church, which needs immediate restoration work.

Bantony Castle conservation

As the restoration work on the iconic Town Hall building and Gaiety Theatre has been completed, Bantony Castle is being conserved now. Located on the road from The Mall Road to the Kalibari temple, Bantony Castle with its expansive lawns is being developed as a museum, with a plan for a light and sound show to trace the British linkage that the city has. The government acquired Bantony Castle on January 4, 2016, at a cost of Rs 27.84 crore after almost a two decade-long struggle.

The 125-year-old Bantony Castle was the summer palace of the erstwhile Maharaja of Sirmaur. The main building is a double-storey structure constructed in the mock Tudor style, part chalet and crowned with a sloping roof with mini-towers. The building is said to have been designed by TEG Cooper and before its construction began in 1880, the site had a cottage belonging to Cap A. Gordon, which housed Army officers. It had housed the office of the Himachal Police since 1957. It was after the owners won the legal battle that the police vacated the building.

Decrepit notified cemeteries

The Town and Country Planning Department had also notified the British-time cemeteries. Most of these cemeteries in Sanjauli, Nav Bahar and below St Edward’s School are in a state of neglect despite the fact that many British tourists visit Shimla to trace the place where their forefathers were laid to rest while serving the British Empire. The Tourism Department had even got a complete documentation of all churches and cemeteries in Himachal done with the objective of attracting tourists from Britain. There are some very old churches in Shimla, Kasauli, Dalhousie and Mcleodganj but the project to link these places with tourism has not taken off.

The previous Congress government had approved the HP Heritage Tourism Policy, 2017 to preserve the culture and heritage of the state. The motive was to preserve palaces, forts, havelis and British-time buildings.

---

‘Privately-owned buildings on the verge of extinction’

What is the condition of the buildings that were given the heritage status by the Town and Country Planning Department in 2002?

I have myself been involved in the process to identify the built-up heritage of Shimla. Initially, 98 buildings were identified. Later, in a re-survey done by INTACH along with Town and Country Planning Department and other government officials, the number shot up to 270. However, as an afterthought, we decided to treat a group of similar buildings like in Longwood or Brockhurst as one structure, so the number again fell below 100.

Unfortunately, the condition of most of the privately-owned buildings is rather bad, with some of them on the verge of extinction. The government-owned buildings are still better managed even though much more needs to be done to protect these British-time structures. Most private individuals do not have the required funds to maintain their properties.

Do you feel adequate steps have been taken to conserve these notified heritage buildings in Shimla?

No, much more needs to be done, as practically there has been no action on the recommendations of experts to preserve these buildings. The Heritage Conservation Advisory Committee, too, feels that some incentives need to be offered to the owners of these buildings so that they can prevent their properties from fading away with time. Sadly, barring assurances that the government would look into it, nothing came out. The condition of some of the properties like Sterling Castle in Longwood, where Nobel Laureate and Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama stayed for almost three years before moving to Dharamsala, is pretty bad. Concrete steps need to be taken to ensure that these buildings do not just crumble away.

What in your opinion are the hindrances to maintaining these buildings?

I agree it is not an easy task. Issues like the dearth of money with owners, multiple ownership, legal wrangles due to ownership disputes, unavailability of raw material used in the construction of these century-old buildings and a shortage or near absence of skilled craftsmen, who could help retain the original structure, are some of the limitations. The fact that these heritage structures require huge amounts of money makes it almost impossible for their owners to maintain and preserve these properties.

The state government had last year decided to extend the jurisdiction and purview of the Heritage Conservation Advisory Committee to the entire state. What is the progress on that front?

Yes, that was a well thought out decision but not much has happened on that front so far. The sphere of work of the committee is still confined to Shimla. It will be very beneficial if all such buildings of heritage value can be protected and maintained, step by step, as this wealth is priceless and the biggest attraction for tourists.

Is the repair or alteration of heritage buildings, for which permission has been taken, being done properly, as per the rules?

Yes, the case of Town Hall is there. A good job has been done under the conservation and restoration project. In cases for which the Heritage Conservation Advisory Committee has given permission for repairs, the authorities have adhered to rules and have done a good job.