114 heritage buildings in Boulevard make it to Puducherry government’s first draft list
The Hindu
The long pending draft list is aimed at bringing in regulation for conservation of the heritage sites and precincts in the Boulevard, said officials
In a major fillip to heritage conservation, the Puducherry Government, in association with the Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage (INTACH), has compiled the first draft list of heritage buildings in the Boulevard area in the city.
The list has been prepared based on the architectural significance, historical, cultural, social and streetscapes.
A majority of the 114 buildings in the draft list are government-owned buildings, followed by institution-owned and French buildings.
The buildings have been graded as Grade – I (no external change is permissible), Grade II A (new construction may be allowed on premises), Grade II B (horizontal and vertical addition and alternation may be allowed), and Grade III (where the structure is having no architectural significance, demolition may be allowed).
Official sources said the long pending draft list is aimed at bringing in regulation for conservation of the heritage sites and precincts in the Boulevard.
The Puducherry Planning Authority has invited suggestions from the public for the draft list of heritage buildings within 15 days from the date of notification (October 5, 2022) before notifying these buildings as “Heritage” buildings within the Boulevard region in the city.
According to the draft list, the Grade I heritage buildings in the Boulevard includes the Ayi Mandapam, the official emblem of the Union Territory, Old Light House, Raj Nivas, Gingee columns and Gandhi Thidal, Statue of Dupleix, Consulat General de France, Sri Aurobindo Ashram, Notre Dame des Anges church, Former Capuchin church and the Goubert Market clock tower.