Subject: Urban Development Policies and Programmes
‘Heritage’:
It is any Building, Artefact, Structure or Precinct having architectural, Cultural and Historical significance and Natural features within such areas.
‘Heritage Building’:
It means and comprises of any building/structure/artefact which needs to be conserved/preserved for historical/architectural/ecological purpose.
‘Preserve’: It means to maintain the form of a place in its existing situation and decelerate deterioration.
Importance of Heritage Buildings:
•Heritage buildings are mark of our history and our National identity.
•They represent our past and rich culture.
•They are economically important as they generate money through tourism for locales.
•It gives an insight to the values and lifestyles of our ancestors.
Due to all the above factors there is a need for heritage conservation.
Brief History of Conservation in India.
In India, conservation was initiated by Emperor Ashoka in 3rd century BC for the first time, to save Wildlife. In 14th century AD, Firuz Shah Tughlaq took initiative to protect ancient buildings. The Archeological Survey of India (ASI) was established in 1861 to legally protect the historical structures all over India. In 1904 “Ancient Monument Act” was passed under which 20 historic structures were ordered to be preserved in 1905 for the first time. In 1984, Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage (INTACH) was founded to arouse awareness for conservation of cultural heritage among the people.
Some Organizations Involved in Conservation of Historic Sites in India:
Archeological Survey of India (ASI)
Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage (INTACH)
United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO)
India Council on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS)
Indian Trust for Rural Heritage and Development (ITRHD)
Aga Khan Trust
Heritage Conservation Committee (HCC)
Objectives of above organizations:
After studying the objectives of some of the organisations, we inferred that most of them focused on the site specific conservation rather than comprehensive development of the space.
Need for the Scheme:
•India is bestowed with rich and varied natural, historic and cultural resources.
•But, we are yet to explore the full potential of these rich and diverse resources.
•Past efforts of conserving all these resources have often been carried out in very unsynchronised way w.r.t. the needs and aspirations of the local communities as well as the main urban development issues, such as infrastructure provision, local economy, urban planning, livelihoods in the areas.
•The heritage development of city is not about development and conservation of site or particular monuments, but development of entire city, its planning, its basic services, quality of life to its communities, its economy and livelihoods, cleanliness, security, reinvigoration of its soul and explicit manifestation of its character.
Hriday’s Inception:
In 2006, MoUD had introduced various capacity building initiatives which had major focus on development of Indian heritage cities.
Till now the work was mostly done on heritage buildings and from the initiative of MoUD the idea of developing Indian heritage cities came into existence.
But this 2006 initiative could not reach the desired goal because of the missing link between city urban planning as well as weak capacity of ULBs.
Therefore, HRIDAY’s as a scheme was launched for the holistic approach of the cities.
What is HRIDAY?
HRIDAY was launched on 21 January 2015 by Mr. M. Venkaiah Naidu, Union Urban Development Minister. An allocation of INR 500 crore was made for this scheme in the 2014 Union Budget.
Concluding in March 2018, the scheme will be implemented in twelve cities – Ajmer, Amaravati, Amritsar, Badami, Dwarka, Gaya, Kanchipuram, Mathura, Puri, Varanasi, Velankanni and Warangal.
Figure 1 : Showing Hriday cities
Scheme statement:
•Preserve and revitalise soul of the heritage city to reflect the city’s unique character by encouraging aesthetically appealing, accessible, informative & secured environment.
•To undertake strategic and planned development of heritage cities aiming to improvement in overall quality of life with specific focus on sanitation, security, tourism, heritage revitalization and livelihoods retaining the city’s cultural identities.
Hriday plans to work on following aspects in 12 cities:
Water Supply Foothpaths
Street Lights Tourist Spots
Electrical Supply Security
Sanitation Drainage
Objective:
“Broadly HRIDAY will focus on four theme area’s- physical, institutional, economic and social infrastructure”
•Planning, development and management of heritage sensitive infrastructure.
•To preserve, conserve & revitalize heritage sites.
• Develop infrastructure &services to improve quality of life.
•Local capacity building, conservation of natural & built heritage – Effective Tourism.
•Livelihood creation – Economic Betterment.
• Urban heritage adaptive rehabilitation & maintenance through PPP.
•Modern surveillance & security apparatus to secure city.
•Implementation and enhancement of basic services delivery with focus on sanitation services like public conveniences, toilets, water taps, street lights with use of latest technologies.
Scope (outcomes):
•Clean & improved sanitized environment
• Improved basic urban infrastructure at tourist destinations
•Improved sanitation standards at natural & cultural tourist attractions
•Properly conserved, revitalized & beautification heritage monuments
•Improvement in social safety & reduction in crime
•Improvement in the service level benchmarks indicators for urban
•Greater participation by local communities in tourism-related economic & livelihood activities
• Substantial improvement in local economy & quality of life of its communities.
HRIDAY will be working on two levels – national level and city level.
Each level will have its own sub-organizations which will together make sure that the objectives of the scheme are being fulfilled.
Process for Project Preparation and Implementation:
•The projects and proposals can flow from two levels based on the need assessment and stakeholder interactions.
•These levels are the level of National Mission Directorate and City Mission Directorate.
Project Preparation:
•The project DPRs / HMPs may be developed by the National Mission Directorate / City Mission Directorate through PWOs/SPVs/CPSUs/State Para-statals/ NGO’s of repute after consultation with HNEC including involvement of the stakeholders and taking into view different aspects of the Guidelines.
•The existing DPRs related to HRIDAY components prepared under different projects and schemes can also be submitted by City Mission Directorate for consideration under HRIDAY scheme.
•The projects will be selected based on their linkages with overall heritage development of the city and considering their socio economic impact.
•It will be ensured that there is no duplication of works and shall ensure maximum utilization of funds.
•It may also be certified that the DPR for such project is not being submitted to any other authority for financial assistance. The proposals thus received would be technically and financially appraised in Mission Directorates before consideration of sanction and implementation.
•The area covered under the project should be those which have been included in census 2011 or are townships notified by the State Governments.
Project Appraisals:
•The Detail Project Reports (DPRs) would be scrutinized by National Mission Directorate with the support of NPMU so to ascertain technical soundness and economic viability.
The National Mission Directorate may seek for the services of technical wings of the ministry such as CPWD, CPHEEO, and TCPO and/ or technical agencies from market may also be hired.
Project Implementation:
•HRIDAY being a central sector scheme will be implemented under overall control and direction of MOUD.
The Public Works Organization (PWO) / Central Public Sector Unit (CPSU) / State Para-statals / Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV)// NGO’s of repute shall be the executing agencies for the approved projects.
Their Mandate would be briefly:
i) They will design and implement the entire project in consultation with Mission Directorates and ULBs
ii) After finalization of DPRs they will seek the technical and financial consent of National Mission Directorate for the project.
iii) The DPR will have specific provision for maintenance of project for a specific period after completion of project.
iv) Executive Agencies may hire specialist consulting firms/consultants to support design and investigations and contracting agencies for implementation and supervision of project
v) In design conceptualization and implementation of project, they will involve/ inform Mission Directorates/States/ULBs, and other respective technical institutes.
vi) The stakeholders and citizens would also be involved during course of project.
vii) All projects must be completed within a definite time line and no cost / time overruns will be allowed.
viii) After successful completion of the project, and maintain it for a specific period before handing over the project to concern line department/ULB.
Budget allotted to the 12 cities in INR crores:
Ajmer – 40.04 Kanchipuram – 23.04
Amaravati – 22.26 Mathura – 40.04
Amritsar – 69.31 Puri – 22.54
Badami – 22.26 Varansi – 89.31
Dwarka – 22.26 Vellankanni – 22.26
Gaya – 40.04 Warangal – 40.54
Funding of Projects:
• The fund will be released to executing agencies by MoUD
• Out of the total annual allocation of Project Fund available with HRIDAY the distribution will be as under:
COMPONENTS % OF TOTAL FUNDS RELEASE OF FUNDS TO
HRIDAY pilot cities project implementation 85 City Mission Directorate
NPMU/city PMU establishment and operationalization at MOUD/ city 3 NIUA
Capacity Development for Heritage Cities 3 Executive Agencies
DPR’s and development/ Management plans 4 City Mission Directorate
Information, Education and Communication 4 Executing Agencies
Administration and Operating Expenses 1 NIUA
• The powers to sanction funds in the scheme shall be strictly in conformity to the admissible General Financial Rules and the directions issued by Ministry of Finance (Dept. of Expenditure).
• O&M expenditure on Asset Management of Asset created would be admissible.
The fund will be released to executing agencies by MoUD as under:
1. 20% (1st instalment) on approval of the project.
2. 60% (2nd instalment) on 20% physical and financial progress of the project
3. 20% (3rd instalment) on 60% physical and financial progress of the project since base line / bench marks in terms of achievements of physical targets will vary from project to project, therefore these will be firmed up while approving the specific projects.
MONITORING PROGRESS OF PROJECTS SANCTIONED UNDER THE HRIDAY
• Ministry of Urban Development will periodically monitor the scheme through designated officers
• NPMU will develop monitoring frameworks and tools to assist Mission Directorates for effective monitoring of interventions undertaken under the project
• Third Party Monitoring Mechanism would be employed by National Mission Directorate to keep track the progress of the project / scheme.
• Expenditure in this regard would be met from the Capacity Building funds in MoUD for professional services.
Overall project Progress:
Status of Execution of Hriday:
Source: pwc report
Analysis:
• Total 58% of physical completion has been done.
• 66% of the projects are approved
• ₹ 421.47 Cr. Total Cost of Approved Projects.
• 60% is financial completion.
• Pace of implementation is slow.
•Few cities like Amaravati, Varansi, Pushkar & Puri , the progress is around 45% as per media reports until August , 2018.
Study Area: Ajmer
Review of Master Plan, CDP, Zonal Plan, Regional Plan:
• Master Plan for Ajmer for 20 Years (2013-33), drafted in 2011-12.
• It provides details for development of tourism and infrastructure for the city and other civic services.
• It has proposed plan for sustainable development of infrastructure and an airport at Kishangarh.
• City Development Plan (CDP) was made in 2006 for using funds from JNNURM scheme.
• It addresses all key issues related to infrastructure, civic services, and services for urban poor.
Review of Existing Initiatives: to make holistic social change in the Ajmer City.
• Major improvement in infrastructure with installment of solar panels, replacement of conventional lights by LED.
• Development of Rain water harvesting system.
• Installation of Sewage Treatment Plant (STP).
• Installation of waste bins for solid waste management.
Existing Policies of Central and State Government Applicable to the City:
• National Conservation Policy for Protected Monuments, Archaeological Sites and
Remains (NCCP).
• National Policy on Skill Development and Entrepreneurship
• Rajasthan Tourism Unit Policy 2015
• Acts for heritage protection and conservation
Projects in Pipeline and Undertaken by ULB’s:
Project under JNNURM: Amount in lakhs
(i) Ajmer-Pushkar-Bisalpur Transmission Water supply (188.73)
(ii) Ajmer-Pushkar-Drinking water supply, Transfer & distribution (166.42)
(iii) Urban Renewal of Dargah Area – Ajmer-Pushkar (38.42 )
(iv) Basic services to urban poor – Ajmer-Pushkar (107.70)
Objective of HRIDAY for Ajmer city:
• To discover and differentiate various Heritage assets in the city
• Assessment of existing infrastructure and improvement of the same for holistic development of city.
Vision of Ajmer HRIDAY Plan:
• To make the pilgrimage city sustainable and livable and haven for pilgrim tourist.
• To develop and improve infrastructure for transforming city into best tourist friendly.
• To ensure it retains its soul and historic character.
Focus of the Scheme:
• To improve the Dargah Sharif and bazaar area.
• To improve brahma temple and pushkar ghat area.
• To develop all lakefronts.
Framework for Heritage Mangement:
Methodology for Identifying Heritage Assets:
Appraisal of Identified Heritage Assets:
Prioritized Area’s for Development Based on Analysis:
Prioritized Assets Influence Zone
Akbari Qila (Ajmeri Kila) and Soniji ki
Nasiyan with historic residential fabric Naya Bazaar
Anasagar and Foysagar Lakes Lakefronts
Dargah Sharif and Delhi Gate Dargah Bazaar Area
Brahma Temple and Pushkar Lake Brahma Temple and Ghat area
Edward Memorial and Railway Station Railway Station precinct
Heritage Area’s:
Zone1: Naya Bazar, Ajmer
Assets: AKBARI QILA (AJMERI KILA) AND SONI J I KI NASIYAN (AND SURROUNDINGSTRUCTURES)
Lack of physical infrastructure and absence of planning is reflected through the growth pattern of city and is evident from the condition of civic services and infrastructure.
Figure 2: Poor condition of existing public urinals Figure 3: Open drains in narrow galis raising hygiene concerns.
Zone 2: ANASAGAR AND FOYSAGAR LAKEFRONTS
Assets: ANASAGAR AND FOYSAGAR LAKES
Haphazard development around the lakefront has resulted in dumping of waste into the lake. This is evident from the condition of lake and encroachment around it resulting into degraded water quality of lake.
Figure 4: Images showing garbage dumped in Anasagar Lake making it visually unappealing and unhygienic
Zone 3: DARGAH BAZAAR ROAD
Assets: DARGAH AND DELHI GATE
Lack of civic services with bad physical infrastructure and inconsistent shop fronts have led to decharacterisation of the road losing its charm and worth.
Figure 5: Images showing condition of Dargah surroundings and Bazaar
Zone 4: BRAHMA TEMPLE AND PUSHKAR LAKE
Assets: BRAHMA TEMPLE, PUSHKAR LAKE AND GHATS
Poor civic infrastructure and services have led to deterioration of Heritage structure affecting the architectural character.
Figure 6: Assessment of Heritage Area Figure 7: Open drains in heritage walk area
Zone 5: RAILWAY STATION PRECINT
Assets: EDWARD MEMORIAL, RAILWAY STATION AND GANDHI BHAWAN
Lack of proper infrastructure with encroachment by street vendors leading to congestion and changing width of lanes making the streets not user friendly.
Figure 8: Bad condition of existing urinals, broken drain Figure 9: Unorganised informal street vending causes traffic and blocks the pedestrian space covers and footpaths
Investment Plan and Source of Funding:
S.No. Project PROJECT COMPONENTS UNDER HRIDAY PROJECT COST
UNDER HRIDAY-
PHASE 1 (Rs)
1 Naya Bazzar
Heritage Walk a. Underground wiring, road resurfacing
b. Street furniture, lighting, signage, dustbins,benches,
c. Conservation of facades
d. Parking area, public toilets Rs. 5.47 Crores
2 (i) Lakefronts upgradation –
Anasagar and Foysagar
(ii) Culture Park at
Subhash Udyan a. Desilting and dredging of lakes, sewage treatment
b. Lakefront areas with seating, paving, dustbins, proper signage, lighting.
c. Walking/jogging track along lakefront and parking space
Haat, exhibition area, jogging track, children’s area, amphitheatre, food aread
Rs. 11 Crores
Rs. 13.5 Croes
3 Dargah Bazzar
Upgradation a. Underground wiring, road resurfacing
b. Street lighting, signage, dustbins, benches,public toilets
c. Conservation of facades
d. Parking zones, pedestrian access – (sanctioned in
PRASAD)
4 Pushkar Heritage
Walk a. underground wiring, road resurfacing
b. Street furniture, lighting, signage, dustbins,benches,
c. Conservation of facades
d. Parking area, public toilets Rs. 8.3 Crores
5 Railway precinct
upgradation a. Street furniture & Streetscaping – Benches,
bollards, dustbins, trees
c. Resident and visitor parking
d. NMT (non-motorised transit) / para transit
infrastructure
e. Façade conservation and palette for heritage
assets and toolkit for shop-fronts and signage Rs. 3.5 crores
Total cost of shelf of projects under HRIDAY is Rs. 41.7 crores
Project Phasing:
S.No. Project DPR PREPARATION Tendering of works
1 Naya Bazzar
Heritage Walk Completed in August 2015 by HCA Nov. 2015
2 (i) Culture Park at
Subhash Udyan
(ii) Anasagar and
Foysagar
improvement Concept Plan completed by HCA in August 2015
DPRs to be completed between Nov 2015 –Dec.2015 Dec. 2015
Jan./Feb. 2016
3 Jaipur Road precinct
upgradation:
4 Pushkar Heritage
Walk
5 Dargah Bazzar
Upgradation To be done under PRASAD
Work Progress Till 2018:
Implementation Plan:
1.Naya Bazaar Heritage Walk
2. Lake Fronts
(i) Culture Park at Subhash Udyan
(i) Anasagar and Foysagar Lakefront Development
3. Pushkar Heritage Walk
4. Railway Station Precinct Up gradation
5. Dargah Area Upgradation (sanctioned under PRASAD, to be taken up according to its timeline)
Monitoring Mechanism:
Funds Released according to Budget for FY- 2015-16 & 2016-17:
The amount released in the FY- 2016-17 has seen growth of 95%, i.e. 100 lakhs in 2015-16 to 2000 lakhs in 2016-17; it clearly signifies that work is progressing steadily.
Methodology adopted by HRIDAY for Conservation of Structures in Ajmer:
Hriday is having holistic approach for conservation and rejuvenation of historically important areas. The methodology for the same is as follows:
1. Trends and Forecast for Heritage Areas:
i. Tourists Projection: Projection of tourist coming to heritage area.
ii. Tourism Infrastructure Projection: Accmodation, Information Kiosk, Transportation services, Tour guides and packages, Souvenir shops, Eating Places, Restrooms, Parking, Signage’s, Seatings/Benches.
iii. Urban Infrastructure Projection: Water Supply, Sewerage & Drainage, Roads and Transportation, Solid waste management, Health, Hospitality,Electrification.
iv. Gap analysis of all above points.
2. Stake Holders Consultation: Consultation with CMD and CLMAC to discuss and implement proposal.
3. Proposal of Plan:
i. Study objective and background of project
ii. Need of the Proposal
iii. Concept and design calculation
iv. Heritage conservation
v. Infrastructure improvement and basic service provision
vi. Details of the plan
vii. Cost Estimation
viii. Execution of project.
The approach adopted by Hriday scheme aims to preserve and revitalize soul of the heritage city to reflect the city’s unique character by encouraging aesthetically appealing, accessible, and informative & secured environment.
Methodology adopted by ASI for Conservation of Structures in Rajasthan:
ASI’s approach for conservation is limited to structure/monument/site, it is site specific. The methodology for the same is as follows:
The conservation is done by conducting archaeological research through its various branches, having large work force of all trained and qualified professionals.
Jaisalmer Fort Conservation: A case study.
The ASI team did research of the fort, found the problem and successfully restored the decay caused to the structure and made it accessible for tourist.
Restoration and Re-use of the – Mori
Figure10. AFTER RESTORATION Figure 11.BEFORE RESTORATION
The approach adopted by ASI is site or structure specific; it looks into conservation and up gradation of structure specifically.
Conclusion:
It can be concluded from the above facts, need of a scheme like Hriday in India. This is the only scheme which looks into all aspects of historically important places as it works beyond restoring or conserving structure.
References:
• Centre’s ‘HRIDAY’ in Ajmer beating at a slow pace. Available at: https://www.dnaindia.com/jaipur/report-centre-s-hriday-in-ajmer-beating-at-a-slow-pace-2585838
• Warangal’s Hriday beats slowly. Available at: http://www.thehansindia.com/posts/index/Telangana/2018-09-01/Warangals-Hriday-beats-slowly/409035
• Puri lacks heart in Hriday scheme. Available at:
https://www.telegraphindia.com/states/odisha/puri-lacks-heart-in-hriday-scheme-246466
• Pushkar work gathers pace, but lacks quality. Available at:
https://www.deccanchronicle.com/nation/current-affairs/070716/pushkar-work-gathers-pace-but-lacks-quality.html
• HRIDAY BROCHURE. Available at:
https://hridayindia.in/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/hriday-brochure.pdf
• Optional guidelines. Available at: https://www.hridayindia.in/downloads/Operational_Guidelines_for_HRIDAY_scheme.pdf
• HRIDAY dashboard. Available at: https://www.hridayindia.in/dashboard/
• Introducing young people to the Protection of Heritage Sites and Historic Cities. Available at: https://www.iccrom.org/sites/default/files/ICCROM_09_ManualSchoolTeachers_en.pdf
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