MCD to begin ph-2 of marking heritage sites with blue plaques

Last year, the corporation, in collaboration with Aga Khan trust, covered 55 heritage buildings in the city with these plaques.

The Municipal Corporation of Delhi is planning to undertake the second phase of placing blue plaques to mark buildings of heritage value and sites of historical nature in Delhi, senior civic officials said. Last year, the corporation, in collaboration with Aga Khan trust, covered 55 heritage buildings in the city with these plaques.

The plaque installed outside the Hardayal Municipal Heritage Library. (HT Archive)

A senior MCD official said preparations are already on for undertaking the second phase of the project. “In the first phase, we covered the heritage buildings in and around Chandni Chowk, Daryaganj and Nizamuddin Humanyun’s Tomb area. In the second phase, the remaining important structures in Old Delhi and Mehrauli area will be covered with these plaques. We will identify these buildings with the help of Aga Khan trust,” the official added.

The first phase included sites such as the Town Hall in Chandni Chowk, Fatehpuri mosque, Hardayal library, Kasturba Janana hospital, Sunehri mosque, Namak Haram ki Haveli, among others from Tughlaq period, Mughal, late Mughal, and Lodhi period up to early 20th century.

The civic official quoted above said over several phases, the heritage cell plans to mark all the grade-1 and grade-2 heritage buildings in the national capital. As per the classification of union ministry of urban affairs, grade-1 comprises buildings and precincts of national or historic importance, embodying excellence in architectural style, design, technology and material usage and grade-2 comprises buildings and precincts of regional or local importance possessing special architectural features.

These blue oval plates are made of acrylic resin mixture with a white circumference and golden lettering over a blue background. Each plaque reads “Municipal Corporation of Delhi – Heritage Building” in golden letters, along with the civic body’s logo, the name of the site and its year of origin.

Officials said the project is inspired from London’s blue plaque programme that was started in 1866 to link “people of past with people of present”.

Following the London’s footsteps, similar commemorative plaques have been installed in cities across the world, including Paris, Rome, Oslo and Dublin.