Kishore Kumar’s house in Khandwa won’t be demolished, says collector

Kishore Kumar’s ancestral house in Khandwa, Madhya Pradesh has got a stay on demolition. HT had carried a report on the proposed demolition on Thursday.

The Khandwa collector has stayed the demolition of the Ganguli House in Khandwa, the ancestral house of legendary singer Kishore Kumar and his brothers.

The main problem the administration was facing in renovating the house was that they did not have ownership of the house.

The collector Abhishekh Singh talking to Hindustan Times said, “A lot of sentiments of music lovers and locals are attached with this house, so I have stayed the demolition.”

HT had carried a report on the proposed demolition on Thursday.

A notice, announcing the demolition had been pasted at the two-storey house by the Khandwa municipal commissioner as “The house is in a dilapidated condition and can fall down anytime, causing harm to people. It is not fit for habitation and should be vacated and within 24 hours.”

An inside view of Kishore Kumar’s ancestral house in Khandwa. (HT photo)

The collector said that the main problem the administration was facing in renovating the house was that they did not have ownership of the house, and till then there is not much we can do. “We are trying to find who is the present and whether it is in single ownership or joint. We plan to talk to the owners and see what best can be done,” Singh said.

The collector, however, underscored that the building was dangerous and could fall down anytime so no one would be allowed inside the house especially during the monsoon when the risk of structures collapsing is more.

A view of Kishore Kumar’s ancestral house in Khandwa. (HT photo)

While talking to HT over phone, Arjun Kumar who is Anoop Kumar’s son had said, “I agree that the house is in bad shape but it can’t be a danger for anyone else. As it is the rainy season it’s not possible for us to renovate it. Without our permission they can’t demolish it.”

Over the years, the Madhya Pradesh government has shown interest in converting the house into a museum.

In October 2012, then culture minister Laxmikant Sharma said they wanted to convert it into a museum so that people can take inspiration from it. However, the project didn’t materialise.

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