However, our biggest achieve-
ment, has been the creation of
the comprehensive heritage list.
Undertaking extensive surveys
and documenting all the heritage
buildings is a significant body of
work, particularly as there are no
other records that are as exhaus-
tive.
a popular pit stop for weary trav-
ellers on the fabled Silk Route – is
one such example. An apartment
building looms not six inches from
its Southern Gatehouse. Other no-
table structures, like Boro Bari, a
18th century mansion in BK Das
Road, has even lost its protected
status.
What are some of the key is-
sues?
The issues can be summarised by
three D’s:
• Disaster management – once a
building has issued a dilapidated
structure certificate, the authorities
are quick to demolish it, with little
time available to review whether
the verdict;
• Detailed area plan - road widen-
ing and urbanisation policy plan-
ning does not take heritage or his-
toric value into account; and finally,
• Developers – urban development
and community sentiment cur-
rently caters to developers with lit-
tle consideration for heritage con-
servation.
Has the government or the
international
community
been receptive to the issues
at hand?
We have been trying to raise the
issue with authorities for several
years, speaking at seminars and
conferences. We even raised the
issue at the international stage,
| Page 19
speaking to officials at the Getty
Conservation Centre and other
agencies. All parties are swift to
acknowledge the need for conser-
vation and are appreciative of the
Group’s work. However, the fact re-
mains, that for a developing coun-
try like Bangladesh, funding needs
to be allocated for more immedi-
ate development challenges and
heritage conservation features fur-
ther down on the list of priorities.
It’s not that the government
doesn’t appreciate the issue. It has
sanctioned the creation of a her-
itage list in 2009, which assigned
around 350 historic buildings for
protection. In 2014, with an add-
ed push towards heritage conser-
vation, the government updated
the list, cataloguing around 1,600
buildings for conservation. This
list also identified the buildings
by their listed status, with Grade I
listed buildings requiring complete
preservation, Grade II requiring
some interior preservation as well
as exterior, and Grade III which only
requires that the outside façade re-
main intact. However, more recent-
ly, another new list was created in
November 2017 which contains
only 75 heritage listed buildings.
This is in stark contrast to USG’s list.
We have been working on our list
since 2009. Created after extensive
research and in consultation with
industry experts, our list identifies
around 2,500 buildings that should
be marked for conservation. We
are trying to work closely with the
government to try and get a con-
sensus on a more comprehensive
list.
Why is there such a disparity
between the lists?
One of the reasons behind the dis-
parity between the lists is because
USG focuses on entire mohallas or
neighbourhoods, not just individ-
ual structures. The mohallas make
up the backbone of Puran Dhaka.
Each neighbourhood houses dif-
ferent communities, traditionally
based on their craft or profession.
They act as windows into the past.
Unless these areas are preserved
in its entirety, the city will face ir-
reparable damage. There are close
to 50 distinct neighbourhoods in
Puran Dhaka and just by targeting
these pockets of history, USG have
pinpointed 1,500 buildings requir-
ing conservation.
What are some of the Group’s
successes?
Our efforts had begun gaining
recognition around 2009 when it
received the American Ambassa-
dors Fund for Cultural Preservation
for the restoration of a building in
Shakhari Bazaar. This year, it has
also received a small grant to
We’ve also been successful in cre-
ating awareness amongst society
about our cultural heritage. There
is a growing popularity of Puran
Dhaka’s architecture amongst pop
culture. You’ll notice that local me-
dia frequently use Puran Dhaka
as a backdrop for their shows and
photoshoots.
ist hubs! This city is large enough
and there is room for all. We just
need a holistic approach, one that
can rehabilitate entire communi-
ties. But the first step is to identify
the historic areas and incorporate
them into the blueprint of new
landscape.
As an immediate call to action, we
need to temporarily cease all dem-
olition of old buildings over the
next 6 months. This is so USG and
other authoritative bodies can take
stock of the heritage buildings we
already have. Actions should then
be taken by responsible authori-
ties to preserve and restore these
structures.
“
Unless these
areas
are
preserved,
the city will
face
irreparable
damage
“
restore Armanitola School, the first
primary school teacher’s training
school in Dhaka.
You also run guided tours of
Puran Dhaka, which come
highly recommended by in-
trepid travellers. How did that
What actions should be un- come about?
dertaken in the future for the
protection of heritage build- When we started the “Save Shakhari Tours generally focus on the fol-
Bazaar” campaign in 2004, as a lowing areas:
ings in Puran Dhaka?
Bangladesh has many develop-
ment challenges. But with proper
planning, it will be possible to pro-
tect both heritage and develop-
ment and promote tourism. Look
at some of the famous historic cit-
ies around the world – the streets-
capes of the Shanghai waterfront,
the Bombay Old Town Heritage
Precinct and Singapore’s China-
town. They’ve all managed to pre-
serve their historical sites while al-
lowing careful urban development
in those areas. And they’re all tour-
means to raise awareness, we be-
gan inviting members of the civil
society and expats to join us for ed-
ucational walks around Puran Dha-
ka. This is so that they could learn
more about the heritage buildings
there and their significance in Dha-
ka’s rich, cultural past.
Can you provide some more
information about these
walks, for those interested?
USG runs walking tours around
Puran Dhaka on most weekends.
• Farashganj: Walks include the
18th and 19th century mansions
built by Hindu Zamindars.
• Armanitola-Chawkbazar: The tour
covers historic monuments and
Mughal-era mohallas.
• Narinda: Tours include a visit to
a 400-year-old Christian cemetery
and the exotic Baldah Gardens,
and a walk along the banks of the
Buriganga River showcasing two
Mughal caravansaries - Boro Katra
and Choto Katra – popular halts on
the ancient Silk Route.
Page 17
A protest against the
demolition of a heritage
building in Hrishkesh Das
Road.
Page 18
Residence of Revoti Mohan
Das Sutrapur.
Page 19 and 20
Heritage sites in Farash-
ganj
Page 20 |