France grants Euro 1 million to preserve heritage buildings

The French government will give a grant of one million Euro (approximately Rs 4.5 crores) for conservation and revitalisation of private heritage buildings, announced the Ambassador of France to India, Bernard de Montferrand here on Wednesday at the inauguration of a three-day seminar, ‘Sambhav’ at the National Institute of Design.

The grant will be used for cross subsidisation of interest on loans taken for renovation or reconstruction of classified private heritage houses in the walled city. The interested house owners will be given both technical and financial assistance. As per the general outlines worked out, the French government will pass on the funds to Hudco, which is to act as a nodal financial agency in disbursing the loan amount to house owners. The AMC will help identify the house owners and operationalise scheme.

The French government will also develop a ‘House of Heritage’ that will act as the sample house for those interested to show them that reconstruction need not be costly. "Our architects have been studying the pols for the last three years and found them to he extremely remarkable" said Mr. Montferrand. The city was chosen for the first comprehensive joint exercise as it presented a unique combination of historic urban architecture and contemporary architecture to which French architects have made contributions in the past, he added.

There is a need for a special board for development of heritage, said the mayor, Himmatsingh Pate!. "The city has lost quite a bit of her heritage, but there is a lot that can be saved. While heritage conversation is not a part of the AMC’s responsibilities, it has quite willingly participated in the effort voluntarily," he added. He said that there was a need to see that the people start living their culture and the heritage would be safe.

Earlier, a team of experts from the AMC and French government had a meeting with the urban development secretary, Sudha Anchaliya. The state government will facilitate the changes in the legal infrastructure like changes in the General Development Control Regulations and the BPMC Act, said deputy municipal commissioner, J.G. Hingrajiya.

The three-day seminar is having participants from all over the country including experts and NGOs working in the field of conservation and heritage.

Republished from The Asian Age