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Vishrambaug Wada: PMC’s ‘heritage site’ in a state of neglect

The structure, famous for its carved woodwork, was the residence of Peshwa Bajirao II who was the last Peshwa of the Marathas.

The Vishrambaug Wada, famous for its carved woodwork, was the residence of Peshwa Bajirao II. (File)

A PROMINENT Peshwa monument of the 19th century, the restoration work of Vishrambaug Wada has been neglected by the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC). Despite being under the Heritage Cell of the civic body since 2007, experts involved in the project alleged mismanagement and irregular funding.

The structure, famous for its carved woodwork, was the residence of Peshwa Bajirao II who was the last Peshwa of the Marathas. The mansion houses PMC offices, a library and a permanent exhibition on the history of Pune city, titled Punawadi Te Punyanagari, run by Buldana Urban Cooperation Credit Society.

“The PMC hardly pays any attention to heritage sites. The heritage cell has some able and hardworking officers, but they are not backed by the civic body. While they diverted some funds they got for the Smart City project, the heritage cell does not exclusively get any funding,” said historian Saili Palande-Datar.

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She alleged that there was a lack of political will when it came to preserving monuments. Lack of funding and awareness were the reasons most monuments in Pune were in a poor state.

“We are working on restoring the mansion. It has three chowks, of which we have almost completed restoring two and will now start working on the chowk that faces Tulshibaug,” said Varsha Jadhav, in-charge of the restoration project.

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The heritage cell, however, does not have a proper restoration plan or maps,a cost estimate or even an account of the money that has been spent so far. “We never had enough money even to prepare the maps. Initially, we got only Rs 2 to 5 lakh annually. For the past two to three years, we are getting better funds,” said Jadhav, adding that a restoration cost cannot be estimated as the task was complicated and expensive.

“We go there, inspect the site and decide which part we should work on. We have spent around Rs 1 crore on the restoration since 2007. This year, we have demanded Rs 2 crore, but I doubt if we will get it. Heritage is not something that comes under ‘basic commodities’,” said Jadhav.

First uploaded on: 06-01-2019 at 08:50 IST
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