North Delhi civic body on awareness drive to renovate havelis

The workshop is being organised in light of reports of increasing illegal constructions at these heritage buildings. Some of the matters related to unauthorised construction at these properties are being heard by the Delhi high court.

In a bid to conserve and protect the heritage havelis of old Delhi, the North Delhi Municipal Corporation is going to organise a workshop to make people aware of their significance as well as procedures to undertake renovations.

The Walled City has 783 heritage structures, including 229 historical buildings, indentified and notified by the state archaeology department. (HT/File Photo)

The workshop is being organised in light of reports of increasing illegal constructions at these heritage buildings. Some of the matters related to unauthorised construction at these properties are being heard by the Delhi high court.

The workshop will take place at the Town Hall next month, in association with the Indian national trust for art and cultural heritage (INTACH).

“The problem is that the people living in these havelis are either not aware about the procedure for making changes or they want to avoid the process altogether fearing refusal of the renovation plan. Moreover, the Delhi Development Authority’s (DDA) building bylaws don’t provide detailed information on the subject,” a senior north corporation official said.

The Walled City has 783 heritage structures, including 229 historical buildings, indentified and notified by the state archaeology department. “The DDA’s building bylaws have a ‘heritage clause’, which says to take special permission from the heritage conservation committee before renovating listed structures, and inform about other restrictions. But they don’t highlight the positive points associated with heritage structures,” Swapna Liddle, convenor, INTACH, said.

For example, owners of these structures can get a property tax waiver and convert residential structures into commercial if the purpose is to promote heritage through tourism, Liddle said.

“As people don’t know about these provisions, they often undertake renovations without seeking permission from the municipality and the heritage conversation committee. Some of these structures have been changed drastically for commercial use,” a senior North Corporation official, not authorised to speak to the mediasaid.

During the workshop, the MCD plans to share a booklet prepared by INTACH with all the advisories and precautions for making changes to these heritage structures.