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| Benazir Palace - photo from Internet |
The recent controversy about the (sub) leasing away of the
Benazir Palace grounds in Bhopal to Nagarjuna Construction Company (NCC) for
the shooting of Prakash Jha’s next film “Satyagraha” revealed the apathetic and
negligent manner the Madhya Pradesh Government deals with its assets. The asset
in question is no ordinary landed asset; it is a heritage property to boot, of
the Nawabi era.
Built in 1877 by Nawab Shahjehan Begum, a great builder like
her namesake Mogul Emperor Shahjehan, the Palace was meant to be a pleasure
pavilion. Overlooking the Motiva Talia,
one of the three cascading lakes built around the same time to harvest the
run-off from the neighbouring Idaho Hills, Benazir Palace is now more than 130
years old and, by all reckoning, should have been treated as a heritage
property about thirty years ago. But, no, it was never treated as one and was,
very curiously, in the possession of the local medical college. How it went in
the possession of the College that is only 57 years old is what beats everyone.
Worse, the College, exercising its property rights, leased it out to NCC,
which, in turn, leased it out to Prakash Jha’s film outfit, reportedly, for a
sum Rs. 5 laky. It is a curious case of a lessee sub-leasing its rights over a
property which essentially is public property. Obviously, the district
administration was in the know of the transaction as permission for Prakash Jha
to shoot in the Palace premises was accorded by the local District Collector.
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| A richly carved wall |
It was only when the media and the Bhopal Citizen’s Forum
raised a furore that the government woke up to the mess that had been created.
The Medical College did not have a clue that what it had in its possession was
a heritage property and no less. It seemed to have had no qualms in palming off
the Benazir grounds to the NCC for a paltry sum for the specious reason that it
was involved in some construction on a nearby site. When Prakash Jha came along
the lessee must have found it a god-sent opportunity to make some money on the
side. Thankfully as a result of the big splash in the Times of India all the irregularities
in dealing with the matter have been done away with. The government worked
overtime to ready a notification indicating the Palace as a “Protected
Monument”. The small delegation of Bhopal Citizens’ Forum had occasion to see
it when it met the Commissioner Archaeology. The notification must have been
issued by now.
It is not the Benazir Palace alone that the state government
has been found to be wanting in protecting Bhopal’s heritage structures. Over
the years several such structures, including several gates of the former walled
city of Shahjehanabad, were allowed to be occupied by unauthorised people. Worse, the Taj Mahal Palace, so lovingly built
by Shahjehan Begum which later earned kudos from the British high and mighty, too,
was most unwisely allowed to be used as a refuge for post-independence migrants
from Pakistan. This single thoughtless act of the then government of the
province virtually destroyed the Palace. Likewise, Gol Ghar, once an aviary for
the Begum and now has mercifully been restored and renovated, was also handed
over to police outfits one after the other without the structure ever being
cared for. The case of Benazir Palace has been no different. It was allowed to be
used as a College. A fire in its laboratory badly damaged some of its parts.
As reports say it is not quite clear about who owns the
Palace. However, now that the Department of Archaeology is going to take it
over, it is hoped it will be better cared for. Commissioner Archaeology has
assured the Citizens’ Forum that even Prakash Jha’s film will be shot in the
Palace premises under expert supervision (presumably of archaeologists).
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| Taajul Masajid as seen from Benazir |
In Madhya Pradesh the mess in maintenance of heritage
properties has been created because the state has so far not created in various
cities and towns Heritage Conservation Committees. Under the rules for
conservation of heritage sites, buildings etc. such committees are to be
constituted. One does not know how many heritage sites of historical and
cultural significance have been lost to posterity for identification and
recognition of their heritage value for want of such committees. It is not too
late; perhaps even now the department of culture could initiate the process and
constitute such committees at least for cities that have numerous heritage
structures and sites located in them or in their vicinity.
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