BMC to send fresh recommendation on heritage tag for Savarkar Sadan, HC told

The need for a fresh recommendation arose after the urban development department informed the court that the heritage committee’s 2010 recommendation had been destroyed in the fire at the state secretariat in 2012

MUMBAI: The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) on Wednesday informed the Bombay high court that its Mumbai Heritage Conservation Committee (MHCC) will send a fresh recommendation to the state government regarding granting heritage status to Savarkar Sadan, which was once the residence of Hindutva ideologue Vinayak Damodar Savarkar.

BMC to send fresh recommendation on heritage tag for Savarkar Sadan, HC told

The bench of chief justice Alok Aradhe and justice Sandeep Marne was hearing a public interest litigation (PIL) filed by Abhinav Bharat Congress, urging inclusion of the building among heritage structures in the city based on a 2010 recommendation of the heritage conservation committee.

The need for a fresh recommendation arose after the urban development department informed the court last month that files pertaining to the case, including the heritage committee’s 2010 recommendation, had been destroyed in the fire at the state secretariat in 2012.

Despite efforts to search for or recreate the destroyed files, they could not be traced, the department told the court via an affidavit dated July 28. BMC’s heritage committee would hold a fresh meeting and submit its recommendation on heritage status for Savarkar Sadan, following which the state government would take a final decision, the affidavit said.