Race to save Vadodara's Pratap Vilas Palace grounds

Like the steady clicking of turnstiles at a popular show signatures are being clocked in for a petition on the changeorg platform to stop construction on the lawns of the magnificent Pratap Vilas palace in VadodaraThe stunning 106yearold edifice in the midst of the sprawling Raja Baug lawns is activists say in a fight for survival Once the property of the Gaekwad family of Vadodara in 1961 the entire estate which is the palace and its surrounding land was sold to the Railway Ministry for Rs 2438271 Today this palace houses The National Academy of Indian RailwaysNow a modern office building to accommodate the National Rail and Transportation Institute and other offices is proposed on the palace garden This is sacrilege say outraged activists adding that a new building will take away from the Pratap Vilass aesthetic and historical appealVadodaras royal family and the Maharaja Fatehsingh Museum Trust is at the vanguard of mobilising opinion to stop work on the new buildingHere Maharani Radhikaraje Gaekwad speaks about royaltys efforts to halt the constructionVadodaras royal family including Maharani Radhikaraje Gaekwad and the amobilising opinion to stop work You say there should be a protest against the proposed building what shape should that protest takeBy protest we mean that the people should come together as a community to prevent destructiondefiling of a heritage building which is more than a century old and is the only living example of colonial architecture in Vadodara People can build pressure by joining our online campaign and by writing individually to authorities I have come to view social media as a very effective tool as wellAny dialogue with railway authorities about the new constructionYes My motherinlaw Rajmatasaheb Shubhanginiraje has written a formal letter to the Railway Minister and received a prompt and positive responseYou are royalty and primary custodians of heritage Legally though you do not own the land how realistic is it to try and stop the constructionWe may be royalty with an old association with Pratap Vilas Palace but I think we would do it even as common residents of Vadodara Heritage does not belong to a single family organisation or individual It belongs to people at large It is part of their shared identity From this point of view it is not only realistic but necessary to bring the issue of destruction of Pratap Vilas Palace to the knowledge of the public and to appeal to them to help save their heritageIt may be better for our heritage if old buildings and their custodians found a balance between commercial gain and retaining the past Some palaces turn into hotels retaining their old world charmThe only way forward for legacy holders is to find that balance of retaining heritage yet making it relevant and accessible to peopleWhat is the time frame of the new buildingThe process of marking for the new building has begun and shortly digging will start So time is very shortWhat are the avenues you are using to gather support for your campaignOur online petition has close to 15000 signatures already The response from both people and press has been very encouraging and supportiveRailways saysSumit Thakur Chief Public Relations Officer Western Railway said The proposed structure will be a modern office building There will a few repairs to the existing Pratap Vilas palace building too When asked about initiatives to stop its construction Thakur explained Markings for the proposed building are on and work is to begin soon We are aware of some protests and suggestions to move to an alternative siteKeep scrolling to read more newsCatch up on all the latest Mumbai news crime news current affairs and a complete guide from food to things to do and events across Mumbai Also download the new midday Android and iOS apps to get latest updates MidDay is now on Telegram Click here to join our channel middayinfomedialtd and stay updated with the latest news