India's most wealthiest resident Mukesh Ambani decided to build a private house on a 60 storey vertical palace in Mumbai, architect Hafeez Contractor couldn’t help remarking, "In any other city, he would have 10 to 15 acres to himself. In a congested city, he wants to go high up and enjoy the view."
High rise apartments are taking rapid growth in most metropolitan cities."Veteran actors Dilip Kumar and Manoj Kumar’s bungalows are likely to be razed,"says Vikas Dilawari, a conservation architect. Says Saira Banu, "We have three bungalows, one of which Dilipsaab is redeveloping."
Actor Ranbir Kapoor recently confirmed that his home, the iconic Krishna Raj bungalow that has been a landmark in the Pali Hill neighbourhood for decades, will be razed and in its place will come up a 14-storey structure that will house his parents on the lower three floors and him on the uppermost three.
"Mumbai doesn’t have such a complex and detailed plan, and there is no scope to expand unlike Delhi. There’s a lot of pressure on Mumbai since it’s a commercial centre," Says A G K Menon, convenor, INTACH, Delhi.
However, Sanjiv Srivastava, senior vice-president, National Real Estate Development Council, Delhi, maintains, "Villas and bungalows should not be allowed simply because these consume more land and help very few people."
Explains Kolkata-based architect Anjan Mitra, "People are bypassing laws and the municipal corporation isn’t helpful." With absolutely no heritage regulation, the situation is graver in the garden city of Bangalore. Says INTACH’s Satyaprakash Varanasi, "Bangalore has become a city of immigrants who lack pride in heritage buildings."
Sharada Dwivedi, well-known historian who has managed to restore a few heritage sites in Mumbai, says, "Temptations are far too high. The owners of privately-owned heritage bungalows should be provided incentives for preservation."
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