Hriday – and Kanchi

by A Special ­Correspondent

Bringing an old world and a modern city together

Hriday (Heritage City Development and Augmentation Yojana), devised by the Ministry of Urban Development, recaptures the idea of heritage cities. The focus of Hriday is currently on 12 cities chosen by the Government across the country – Ajmer, Amravathi, Amritsar, Badami, Dwarka, Gaya, Kanchipuram, Mathura, Puri, ­­Vara­nasi, Velankanni and Warangal.

It is an opportunity for these townships to amalgamate heritage conservation with sustainable development, integrate skills with livelihoods, infrastructural development with accessibility, untapped ­potential with service delivery to its inhabitants. It will also promote tourism as a passport to economic prosperity for all its inhabitants.

Most importantly, Hriday is a 100 per cent Government of India funded scheme. Its main objective is to preserve the basic character of the heritage components of these cities, facilitating all-encompassing heritage linked with urban development. It explores additional avenues of funding, ­including private sector and upcoming investment possibilities. It offers a great opportunity to rehabilitate the quintessential heart and soul of heritage cities.
Hriday, thus, signifies a paradigm shift in India’s approach to city development.

INTACH took the initiative to conduct a preliminary ­Capacity Building Workshop on Hriday earlier this year. More than 50 members comprising officials from Municipal Corporations and National Project Monitoring Unit (PMU), heritage experts and the concerned INTACH Chapters attended comprehensive sessions focused on heritage issues. It concluded with a Round Table discussion with heritage-sensitive inputs and some concrete suggestions for infrastruc­tural development presented by city officials specific to the ­cities selected under Hriday.

Director, Ministry of Urban Development, summed up the recommendations of the Workshop. City-level thematic workshops, documentation, listing and notification are the basic starters. It was generally agreed that establishing a Heritage Resource Centre, Heritage Committees, capacity building of local bodies, community participation, applying JNNURM tool kit for heritage specific guidelines, and preparation of Heritage Management Plans were preliminaries that needed to be immediately taken up in each city.

INTACH has been appointed by the Ministry of Urban Development as the Heritage City Anchor to draw up a detailed City Hriday Plan for three of the heritage cities – Varanasi, Gaya and Warangal. The Architectural Heritage Division (AHD) will be drawing up the Vision Plan and heritage sensitive urban guidelines. The common problems in all heritage cities is over-crowding and unclear regulatory framework. It has resulted in inadequate infrastructure for meeting even basic needs like water, roads, sanitation, tourism activity and employment opportunities.

The INTACH design for all the three cities will therefore be in general on developing heritage-sensitive civic infrastructure such as street paving, landscaping, public amenities, signages, street lights, information kiosks, access roads, storm water drainage, cultural corridors (Sanskritik Lehar), and cycling tracks on roads leading to major tourist destinations, like Sarnath for instance.

The Hriday Plan for Varanasi is being drawn up keeping in mind that it is an abode of rich, tangible and intangible heritage, to enhance facets of what is known as a ‘sacred city’ the world over. The focus is on five ‘Priority Heritage’ aspects, namely the 84 ghats on the Ganga riverfront, the ancient city areas of Varanasi, the Sankat Mochan and Durga Kund, and the weaving areas in Varanasi and Sarnath. The overall budget is Rs. 89.31 crore.

The Plan for Gaya will highlight the religious importance of the Pinda-Dana ritual, an offering to ancestors, at one of the 54 holy sites in the town. In view of the importance of this ritual and the influx of visitors during pitra-paksha, it is ­proposed to augment the spaces around the Vishnupad Temple and develop physical and social infrastructure. The hills are an important part of the natural heritage of the city, so plans will include afforestation schemes as Smriti Van by the citizens, with view-points and walking trails. The proposals include cleaning and de-silting of the Sarovar-s, installation of filtering tanks, and boundary wall enclosures to prevent encroachments. AHD has identified five priority zones – the fortified old town of Gaya-Andar-Gaya; the colonial precinct on the Sree Krishna Path; the five hillocks surrounding Gaya, a group of Sarovar-s; a heritage trail from Mahabodhi Temple to Dungeshwari Hill; widening of the stretch of Gaya-Bodh Gaya road from Domuham Chauraha to the Mahabodhi Temple; and the restoration and reuse of Ghamandi Gosai Math. The overall budget is Rs. 40.04 crore.

Warangal, from where the Kakatiya dynasty once ruled, is now the capital city of the new Telangana State. It boasts of old Warangal Fort with its double fortification, the Thousand Pillar Temple and Bhadrakali Temple that portray the splendid architecture of Kakatiya era. The city is also known for its natural wealth of hillocks and lakes. AHD has identified five ‘Priority Heritage’ zones – the Bhadrakali Temple and lake precincts; The Fort Warangal area; the Thousand Pillar Temple; Waddepally Lake; and the Kaizipet Dargah. The Hriday plan includes open green spaces; and a geo bio-­diversity and cultural park in the heart of the city by integrating the ecological importance of the lake, hillocks and cultural assets. It is proposed to define the park boundaries and ­enhance tourist and pilgrimage infrastructure and public facilities. The design also includes nature and bird watching trails, cycle paths, etc. to make it enticingly accessible to people. The overall budget is Rs. 40.54 crore.

Each INTACH Plan will mainly target Civic Infrastructure Development around tangible heritage sites. An assessment will be made to put an end to basic physical shortcomings by ensuring approach roads, footpaths, street lights, tourist conveniences, leisure spaces, etc. Besides this preliminary step, a thorough study of history, physiography, biodiversity, demography and primary economic activities of each city will be done.

Locally applicable norms and bye laws will also be factored into the plans. AHD is presently reviewing existing Master Plans, City Development Plans, Zonal plans, etc. of the three cities assigned to INTACH. The final City Hriday Plans for Varanasi, Gaya and Warangal are receiving priority attention of INTACH. Hriday thus differs from all previous city development schemes by making heritage the focal centre of urban development. The olde world and a modern city will be brought together to breathe new life into these cities for its citizens. (Courtesy: Virasat, the journal of INTACH)

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