Panel no to La Martiniere’s demand for heritage de-list
Times of India | 22 December 2024
Kolkata: The West Bengal Heritage Commission turned down an appeal by the Church of North India and authorities of La Martiniere schools in Kolkata to de-list the institutes from the KMC heritage list, pointing out it did not have the powers to do so. Instead, the commission requested the school authorities to encourage the conservation of their elegant heritage premises.
Bishop Paritosh Canning, who heads city's CNI institutes and is the president of the board of ex-officio governors of La Martiniere, established in 1836, had written to the heritage commission. He prayed for the removal and exclusion of both the boys' and the girls' schools from the List of Grade I heritage buildings. Canning cited Article 30 of the Indian Constitution, which allowed minorities to establish and administer educational institutes of their choice, to argue that it should be entitled to establish and administer its affairs without interference from external authorities. Canning also claimed that under Section 11 (3) of the West Bengal Heritage Commission Act 2001, the power to declare a building heritage lay solely with the commission and not with a local authority, the KMC, here. "Hence, letters issued by KMC are illegal and beyond jurisdiction," he said. The letters Canning referred to were sent by KMC after it was alerted that school authorities had defaced a heritage staircase during renovation.
A joint meeting was held between the West Bengal Heritage Commission and KMC Heritage Conservation Committee on Friday afternoon that was chaired by state heritage commission chairman Alapan Bandyopadhyay, along with representatives from the school. At this meeting, the heritage commission turned down the school's plea to de-list the properties at 11, U N Brahmachari Street and 14, Sarojini Naidu Sarani and clarified that KMC had the right to decide on heritage buildings in the city. Members of both the state heritage commission and KMC heritage committee discouraged any attempt at de-listing the properties, emphasizing the school's significance as a celebrated heritage landmark in Kolkata. They recommended that the restoration of the defaced staircase be taken up under the guidance of a qualified heritage conservation architect.
Restoration architect Partha Ranjan Das, who was appointed as an adviser in the aftermath of the controversy over the southern steps, where names engraved by students were covered by marble tiles, also felt removing the structures from the heritage list would not serve any purpose. He suggested that the school carry out maintenance after taking KMC's permission. "The school authorities claim they were unaware that the heritage status was granted and that no hearing was conducted. If it did, that was incorrect. The KMC heritage committee has the final say in declaring a building heritage in Kolkata, and it could have its way even if the school authorities did not agree. I have told the school that given its history, it should not attempt to de-list as that would open the floodgates," said Das.
But school secretary Supriyo Dhar insisted the institute wanted the heritage tag to go as it was not a museum but a functioning school, where ageing buildings could prove a challenge in ensuring safety and security of 6,000-odd students. "These buildings are nearly 200 years old and past their life. There are spaces, where we can construct new buildings with safer classrooms," he said.
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