Nails hammered into heritage gateway at Telangkhedi in Nagpur

NAGPUR: The Nagpur Improvement Trust (NIT) has hammered nails into the gateway of Telangkhedi garden, a grade-I heritage structure, for illuminating the place which will host a dinner of delegates of C20 Summit on Monday evening. White and red paints have been applied on the gateway, thus altering its original look. As per heritage list issued by the state government on October 15, 2003, the gateway was built with dressed stone masonry. It has foliated arch opening and stone platform on either side of the opening with carved lotus motif.
It was constructed in the 18th century. A couple of heritage activists on the condition of anonymity told TOI, “Painting of heritage structures has to be done in a scientific manner. First, structure has to be cleaned properly and given a natural look before it is painted. In case of dressed stone masonry, painting is prohibited,” they said. Earlier, TOI had reported that the Nagpur Municipal Corporation (NMC) has driven around 1 lakh nails into trunks and branches of over 3,000 trees to illuminate them as part of C20 decorations.
After TOI report,green activists along with citizens, politicians and others had condemned the move. Driving nails into the gateway for hanging series of lights is a violation of the state government rules for conservation of heritage structures. Already, the gateway has cracks which have been allegedly ignored for years by garden owner Dr Panjabrao Deshmukh Krishi Vidyapeeth (PDKV). NIT has allegedly not followed any scientific procedure and painted the gateway. NIT officials concerned did not respond to TOI’s calls. In another violation of rules and orders of the High Court, a digital advertising board about G20 event has been erected on poles of traffic signal and CCTV cameras at GPO Square in Civil Lines.