‘Independent commission crucial’

An independent commission is essential to protect all heritage sites, as authorities concerned are not working properly, said Taimur Islam, chief executive of the conservation organisation Urban Study Group.

In a recent interview with The Daily Star, Taimur, who has been fighting to protect Old Dhaka's archaeological buildings since 2004, said it is crucial to implement the verdict of the High Court to protect heritage buildings, and the Department of Archaeology's role is crucial in this regard.

A High Court directive issued in 2018 ordered authorities to stop changing, modifying and demolishing 2,200 British-era buildings, which were listed by the group as heritage sites in Old Dhaka.

Taimur said although Dhaka South City Corporation is taking the initiative to protect landmark buildings like Lalkuthi or Ruplal House, 2,000 more such buildings remain, which need its protection.

A collective effort is very important to save these heritage buildings, otherwise we will lose them all gradually. A group of volunteers from Urban Study Group have been working relentlessly to protect these heritage buildings. However, it is certainly not enough.

"At least forty percent of the old houses in Shakhari Bazar bear the architecture of the Mughal period even today. In recent times, many houses have been demolished and redeveloped, while many changes were made during the British period," he said.

"Through our work, we could make locals understand the necessity of heritage buildings and how the area will be maintained properly. Even the authorities agreed that safety issues and protecting heritage sites do not contradict each other," he said.

"In 2008, when an important heritage building at Farashganj was on the verge of being demolished, a huge campaign was launched to protect that building. A heritage committee was formed at that time, which placed importance on area-based conservation," said Taimur. 

"Initially, a list of 93 heritage buildings and four heritage areas was prepared for area-based conservation, and later, we continued to incorporate more buildings in the list. In 2018, the HC finally gave a status quo on 2,200 buildings in Old Dhaka, listed by Urban Study Group. However, even after the listing, over a dozen important heritage buildings have been demolished."

"We have already lost too much. The bright side is, though it took time, the government included provisions for transferring development rights to third parties in the latest Bangladesh National Building Code," he said, adding that similar points are present in the new Detailed Area Plan.

Taimur said financial constraints are a major problem for the residents of heritage buildings, which is why making the development rights of such properties transferable to an appropriate third party is crucial.

According to Taimur, it is deeply unfortunate that in the last 20 years, the Department of Archaeology did not include any new heritage building of Dhaka in its own list. Some structures, such as parts of Sankhanidhi and Barokatra, have already been demolished due to a lack of supervision from the authorities.

"Just six months after the HC verdict on protecting heritage buildings, Jahajbari in Chawkbazar, Neelam Ghar, and several other buildings in Farashganj were demolished. The HC verdict mandated the protection of those sites, but they were still neglected and subjected to ruin," he said.

The HC in its directives asked the Department of Archaeology to prepare a final list after assessing the 2,200-building list of Urban Study Group. Unfortunately, there is no progress in this regard as well, even after five years.

"A collective effort is very important to save these heritage buildings, otherwise we will lose them all gradually. A group of volunteers from Urban Study Group have been working relentlessly to protect these heritage buildings. However, it is certainly not enough," said Taimur.

"The authorities need to play a vital role in this regard. It is also essential to ensure exemplary punishment for those who are demolishing the heritage buildings," he added.