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Artists, through Bhaasa Gallery and Studio, in collaboration with the Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage (INTACH)-Udupi subchapter, have launched a campaign to save the heritage structures of Udupi. Artists organised a sketching and documenting event at the Udupi old taluk office and old jail premises, recently.
Artist Janardhan Havanje, who is also a life member of INTACH, told media that the process of documenting the premises is on. “The site documentation was completed recently and a dedicated team from INTACH Mangaluru is working on the digital documentation of the building which is architecturally interesting. Sketching at the premises was organised after it was brought to our notice that the administration is all set to demolish this 117-year-old heritage structure and replace it with a modern commercial building. The heritage structure served as the old jail and it is believed many freedom fighters languished behind bars, especially during the Quit India Movement that began in 1942 and the Salt Satyagraha in 1930,” he said.
“It is understood that the building was built in 1906. It may have been under the Madras Presidency. The building flaunts the traditional Madras roofing technique and the walls have been built with laterite stone and lime plastering. If protected, it will last for a minimum of another two centuries, unlike modern concrete structures. The magistrate’s office also functioned here in the past. Since 2015, the building has not been used. In a few places, there is leakage from the tile roofing due to poor maintenance,” he said.
Dholera City project will give a significant boost to tourism and generate 200,000 jobs, shared Gujarat’s Secretary of Tourism, Devasthanam & Civil Aviation, Hareet Shukla, in a detailed interview with ETTravelworld. Besides the plans of developing tourism facilities in the city, he also discussed Gujarat’s potential as a MICE destination and acknowledged a 207 per cent rise in tourist footfalls between 2017 and 2022.
“There are only a few heritage buildings left in Udupi and if this building is destroyed, only the Board School building will remain,” said Janardhan. “Those who have visited the building were surprised to see its architecture. The public should have been consulted before taking a decision to demolish it. We are not against development, but strongly believe that when the government spends crores of rupees on tourism projects, the same building, if protected, can act as an important tourist destination,” he said. The artists have already submitted a memorandum seeking protection of the building to the deputy commissioner, all elected representatives and the chief minister. A few scenes of the movie ‘Kantara’ were reportedly shot on the premises. After the issue came to light, several people started visiting the heritage structure.
Meanwhile, it is learnt that the administration is now trying to see if the heritage structure can be protected.
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