MCD to restore pre-independence era Mehrauli House Tax building complex

Currently in disrepair, the building's restoration will begin after a structural assessment, with completion expected in the next financial year.

The Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) is set to undertake the conservation and rejuvenation of its pre-independence Mehrauli House Tax Building that has been lying vacant and in a state of disrepair for several decades, according to officials aware of the matter.

A senior civic official said that the work has entered the execution stage and the civic body has started the process of hiring a consultant to oversee the conservation of the heritage building. (Sanchit Khanna/Hindustan Times)

Protected as a heritage structure, the building was constructed in 1942 and it has been used by various departments, including as a dispensary, house tax, and vocational training, among others.

A senior civic official said that the work has entered the execution stage and the civic body has started the process of hiring a consultant to oversee the conservation of the heritage building.

“Structural assessment of the building will be carried out as several of its parts are crumbling and sections have fallen off,” said the official. Once the report by the expert agency is submitted, the repair work will be undertaken based on recommendation and original material will be used in conservation work. The walls of the structure are stone masonry, the floor is cemented, and the roof is sandstone on steel.

According to MCD’s official heritage buldings compilation titled the “Glorius Heritage”, the building was constructed in 1942.

In 2010, it was notified as ‘Grade-II Heritage Building’ by the Delhi government under the Union ministry of housing and urban affairs’ (MoHUA) classification. This includes buildings of regional or local importance that possess special architectural features, or have cultural or historical significance, though lower than ‘Grade-I’ structures.

The yellowish building has a grand entry porch supported on circular columns with a sloping roof. While a staircase from the side street leads up to the first floor and continues to the terrace, the structure has exposed old tiles with a semi-open iron gate holding the structure.

During a spot check on 23 February, HT found the building locked from outside and political hoardings placed on the entrance covering a large section of its facade.

The old structure has an entrance porch, terracotta jails at ventilator level on both ground and first floors and the ground floor has circular pilasters on the exterior while the first floor has circular columns. Decorative iron grills are provided on the first floor but most of them are now rusted and covered with filth.

There is also damage to terracotta jaalis and large cracks in several columns. Many of the windows at the rear end are missing from where the inner courtyard can be seen, filled with broken furniture, debris and disused items. Several small portions of the building complex have already collapsed.

Several banyan trees are growing out of the first floor, with the roots likely weakening the structure as they tighten their grip on the walls.

Locals said that the building had served as the old house tax building and has been lying vacant for at least 15 years. At the time, it also had a government-run unani dispensary on the ground floor and training centre for sewing on the first floor.

Ajit Singh who lives nearby warned it may fall at any time. “We used to file our house tax bills at this site for decades but the building became dangerously unstable. A few local MCD workers sit in one of its rooms on occasions but it remains locked all the time,” Singh said.