Preservation of Heritage Sites, Architecture Buildings as part of Heritage Tourism

A decade after the Municipal Corporation of Delhi published a public notice of 775 heritage sites in Delhi and sought public opinion on the same, the Delhi government notified 767 prominent structures such as the Jama Masjid, Town Hall and Fatehpur Masjid on 11^th March 2010. These are buildings famous as historic sites and symbolic of the cultural heritage of Delhi. The notification appeared in the Delhi Gazette under section 23 of the Delhi Building Bye laws 1983.

Types of Famous Architecture Buildings and Historic Sites

Most of the architecture buildings famous for heritage tourism in Delhi comprise religious places of worship, places of public importance and so on. Some of these notified structures include: 

• Jain Mandir
• Gurudwara Sisganj
• St Stephen’s Church and St. James Church
• Union Bank Building that is located in Chandni Chowk
• Namak Haram ki Haveli
• Hardayal Municipal Library
• Hauz Kazi Masjid
• Anglo-Arabic Public School
• Old Delhi Railways station
• Tomb of Razia Sultan
• Town Hall
• Daryaganj’s City Wall

Notification of Heritage Sites

What the notification really means:

• Any alteration or repair on these historic, architecture buildings will require the consent of the Heritage Conservation Committee and any other appropriate body.
• Any demolition proposal for these buildings will require the MCD Commissioner’s written permission as per section 23 of the Delhi Buildings Byelaws.
• These notified sites will have legal protection.

Preservation of Cultural Heritage Sites

Many heritage sites in Delhi were included in the previous list but they were not preserved simply due to the delay in notification. Delay in complying with the procedures on time has resulted in a huge loss of several monuments in Delhi. Vandalism, encroachment and destruction of these heritage sites increased over the years. There are reports about the Delhi government planning to include more havelis in the notification. Buildings famous for unique architecture and historical heritage are being identified by the MCD for this very same purpose.