The debate between heritage and development is a constant in any city which has to accommodate the past and present and make arrangements for the future. But in Mumbai, this debate gets a sharper edge because of its space constraints and its burgeoning population. Should development be stalled or prevented just to preserve a dead monument which takes space and gives aesthetic pleasure only to a discerning few? Or should heritage be given its due, as both a matter of pride as well as a society which acknowledges its journey through time?

The matter of the past holding the present and future ransom has come up again with the controversy about Crawford or Jyotiba Phule Market. The municipal commissioner seems to feel that only part of the building has heritage status and wants to allow a private developer to come up with a mall. This is being contested by heritage experts, who recommend conservation and restoration. The municipal commissioner has come up with the argument that no one cares anyway except for those who know and while the government can afford to conserve, what about private parties in heritage buildings who could be losing out on good deals. The first part of his argument — that no one is interested therefore it could be brought down — is specious but the second part is worth considering.

Mumbai has woken up late to conservation and the Greater Mumbai area has less than 600 tagged sites compared to say, the City of London's which run into the thousands. But the movement is gaining ground and now, finally moving beyond a few Indo-Saracenic buildings in south Mumbai. Yet, while heritage experts tend to become intransigent and put their collective foot down at any sign of change, civic authorities, who tend to back developers, are generally callous while builders only consider commercial possibilities. Take Mumbai's mill lands — a century and more of history has been lost to greedy builders who found nothing worth preserving, while the government turned a blind eye. 

A middle ground is definitely needed. The private-public partnership model has some possibilities. But well-defined laws and guidelines are a must, which will measure a structure's historic content and set norms for restoration, conservation and demolition. Private owners of heritage structures could be given grants to help them with conservation. After all, history is not just a matter for governments or experts, but is something where all citizens are stakeholders.

DNA-Daily News & Analysis Source: 3D Syndication