Surging population, pollution, incorrigible traffic jams and chaos all around, rapidly changing skylines mean that older structures are finding it increasingly to compete with the modern buildings. The character of Indian cities in general, has undergone a rapid transformation with the past being forgotten to bring in the future.

Take for instance the Mackinnon Mackenzie building at 16 Strand Road in Kolkata, which has been staring down at passersby since 1927, and has always housed companies. But it too has joined the list of heritage buildings that will be lost to history forever. It was to get a Rs l00 crore makeover to be transformed into a mall as stated in 2007. All that will remain of the old building now will be its stone facade, with almost everything inside it scooped out and refurbished.

The major cause of concern for town planners and architects is the growth of the cities in an unsystematic manner. There seems to be no harmony in sight between the old and the upcoming city heights. ?When planning was done for the city, especially Delhi, it was a short-term planning. It did not conceptualise the blending of the old and the new architecture. The lighting, roads and even the plantation has changed. Delhi is not gloriously green anymore but has turned into a concrete jungle,? says RC Agrawal, principal director, Architectural Heritage Division, Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage. This short-term planning, without keeping the interests of people in mind is one of the major causes of worry. ?People, who make a city, have not been considered at all while planning it. Their movement, their living conditions, nothing has been kept in mind. The sub-urban areas do not have adequate water or transportation facilities,? says Agrawal.

?How much can one build?? asks conservationist and Delhi Urban Arts Commission member Ratish Nanda. He cites the example of Delhi where the heritage that is remaining is what lies between the ridge and the Yamuna river. ?Take for instance the Lutyens zone. Is it necessary to build buildings there? Can?t we even preserve 1% of our heritage?? queries Nanda.

Confused architecture

This unharmonious relation is also evident in the relationship between the old structures and newer constructions that have been coming up in the city. ?There seems to be not much of a balance between the old and new constructions. The soul of architecture should always be the same, it is only the skin it wears that varies from time to time and I feel that if basic principals of design are followed, which was so in old heritage buildings, then they can coexist in harmony,? says architect Vidur Bhardwaj. He cites the example of the India Habitat Centre (IHC), a building that gels between yesterday, today and the future of the city. ?The IHC building goes beautifully with the old amalgamation and gives a much better feeling than the glass and concrete facades we have got,? says Bhardwaj.

Development and planning of the city has to be conceptualised. ?Development shouldn?t be stopped but at the same time, heritage should not be compromised,? says Agrawal. He cites the example of Mehrauli, Lodhi area and Nizamuddin as some of the core areas where everything has changed drastically. ?The new houses that have come up in these places don?t represent any citing of the architecture they were known for in ancient times,? he adds.

A monumental concern

India has are over 3,600 centrally protected monuments, of which 172 are in Delhi. Currently construction activities are not allowed within a 100 metres radius of protected monuments. These activities are further regulated within 200 metres of the monument. According to an affidavit filed by AK Sinha, Superintending Archaeologist with the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI), before the Delhi High Court earlier this year, 12 out of 172 monuments under the Centre have lost their ?archaeological and architectural value? and have fallen prey to ?intensive development and modernisation of Delhi?. The city?s rapid urbanisation and commercialisation along with development of infrastructure at a fast pace have also caused a loss of these protected monuments. Large numbers of old structures in and around Lutyens? Delhi have been affected by new construction, specially places like the Red Fort, Jama Masjid area and Old Fort. ?The architecture of heritage buildings is a victim of vested interests of land grabbers, insensitive people resulting in the neglect of the great masterworks,? says architect Vivek Sabherwal.

?Aesthetic sensitivity is required to have a construction that gels with the existing structures,? says Neelima Risbud, Professor of Housing, School of Planning & Architecture. She adds that the city of Delhi and even other cities have too many places and monuments to be conserved. ?The attitude towards conservation is not there because people believe that people have lived in the past for a very long time. They now want the modern living comforts,? she adds. There seems to be a conflict between conservation and development.

Solutions on offer

?The Government has taken some very stringent measures to preserve these buildings. What is important now that these measures are followed & implemented,? says Bhardwaj. Architects also feel that people need to be educated about the importance of preserving the heritage constructions and rather than just leaving this to the Archeological Survey of India (ASI) or some other government agency.

Agrawal feels that planning the city should not be restricted just to the policy makers. ?It?s the people who make the city and they should have an equal say in the planning of the city they live in,? he further adds. Fusing of vernacular and universal and blending of local craft with modern technology can be a desired solution. ?While the new buildings design should be free from strictures of the past and empowered with new ideas and materials, however they should be energy efficient, use sustainable techniques and be sensitive to the environment in which they are built and yet compliment the heritage building in their surroundings,? says Sabherwal.