Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar:
The declaration of a cluster of heritage structures existing on the sprawling campus of Himayat Baugh, as a ‘State Protected Site’ by the Department of State Archaeology (DSA), is delaying due to non-availability of maps, land documents and records from different offices of the Department of Revenue!
According to sources, “The assistant directorate (DSA, Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar) is corresponding with the office of the Land Record, City Survey, Tehsil and the District Collectorate for the past many months (from September 2022), urging to handover the documents, maps and records relating to 17th century garden - Himayat Baugh - and its heritage structures. However, the response from these offices is not prompt as it was expected. Hence the DSA is unable to undertake assessment and measurement of the heritage structures, demarcate open space around it to protect them, and undertake other works.”
When contacted the assistant director Amol Gote said, “ Acting upon the High Court’s order in connection with a public interest litigation (PIL), the process of declaring the heritage structures at Himayat Baugh as State Protected Site has been initiated, but is at preliminary stage. We are corresponding with different offices of the Department of Revenue for the necessary maps, documents and records of the site. We could start further processes like completing measurements, conducting thorough study of each heritage structure on the campus, photographing them to capture the current status, list the conservation works to be done, prepare estimates etc only after getting the demanded papers in our hand. Later on, a detailed project report (DPR) will be sent to our Directorate (Mumbai), which will scrutinise it and submit it to the state’s Ministry of Cultural Affairs and the department concerned for declaration as the State Protected Site.”
Box1
List of structures to be conserved!
The DSA team has prepared a list of a cluster of heritage structures to be conserved on Himayat Baugh. They include Fortification Wall, Main Gate, Shakkar Baoli (Well), two rectangular shaped tanks with defunct water fountains in them, hexagonal structure built below the ground level (Summer Palace) and two old heritage buildings (including the old office of Fruit Research Station).
Box 2
Himayat Baugh has 19 survey numbers
It is learnt that the City Survey Office in December 2022 has informed DSA to conduct fresh measurement of Himayat Baugh (which bears 19 different survey numbers) by paying prescribed fees to the Land Record Office. Hence the DSA submitted a request letter to the District Collector urging to waive-off the fees and are waiting for the reply.
Box 3
An NGO Umbrella Welfare Foundation’s Adv Sandesh Hange has filed a PIL urging the Aurangabad Bench of Bombay High Court to declare Himayat Baugh as
Bio Diversity Park. Other than DSA, the Department of Forest (DoF) and the Vasantrao Naik Marathwada Agriculture University (VNMAU - Parbhani) are also involved in the case.