Sutrapur Zamindar Palace: Putting the flame out of a heritage site
33, Revati Mohan Das Road, used to be known as the Sutrapur Zamindar Palace, with a history and legacy of hundred years attached to it.
The establishment is listed as a heritage site under the Department of Archaeology (DoA). However, these days, locals know it as a fire service quarters.
For all latest news, follow The Daily Star's Google News channel. As the area did not have a fire service office, the building was turned into a station years ago. Moreover, it is also being used by families of fire service personnel.
Visiting the site, this correspondent saw no signboard from the archaeology department on the premises listing it as a heritage site. Instead, a cautionary notice from the Fire Service and Civil Defence Department was seen hanging, restricting access for the masses.
More than fifty families are currently living in the building, formerly a palace in the British era.
Moreover, a two-storey barrack has also been established for the officers, along with thatching to park vehicles belonging to the department, apparently with permission from the DoA.
According to section 61 of the Dhaka Mahanagar Imarat Bidhimala 2008, construction of any establishment cannot take place without the permission of the Nagar Unnayan Committee under RAJUK within the 250-metre radius of the heritage site. The proposed Antiquities Act 2015 states that no establishment can be constructed within the same radius without permission from the archaeology department.
The palace came to be during the time of Zamindar Ray Bahadur Satyendra Kumar Das. The adjacent road was named after Satyendra's father, Revati Mohan Das.
The zamindar palace is a combination of two adjacent buildings. The original building faces the south -- its 50-feet entrance has three Corinthian columns, with floral structures covering them with a half-circle from both sides, while a circular design adorns the space below.
The north-facing building, built a few years later by a relative of Revati Mohan Das, has a 50-feet entrance as well. The entire establishment has 35 rooms in total.
The descendants of the zamindar family left the establishment and migrated during the partition of 1947. It later came under the jurisdiction of the government as vested property.
Despite repeated enquiries, it could not be known when the establishment started being used by the fire service department.
"Fifty-two officers of the fire service have been living in the establishment for quite a long time," senior station manager of Sutrapur fire service station told this correspondent.
"They have been living here with permission from the department of archaeology," he informed.
When asked about the construction of the new barrack, the official said the building had been constructed before he took over.
"As far as I know, the department had permission to construct the building. The construction was necessary," he said.
Contacted, Rakhi Roy, regional director (Dhaka) of the DoA told this correspondent, "The area didn't have an office for the fire service. We consulted experts and permitted the fire service department to build a station there on humanitarian grounds."
"We also permitted some officers to stay there with their families on an emergency basis," she added.
The official said the government plans to establish a fire-service museum on the premises as well.
When informed that 52 families are currently living in the establishment, she said, "These many people are not supposed to be living in such a confined space, as per my knowledge."
"We will go and visit the site," she added.
Meanwhile, the issue has raised concern among urban history conservationists.
Talking to The Daily Star, Taimur Islam, chief executive of Urban Study Group, said, "The zamindar palace in Sutrapur is one of the most beautiful monuments in old Dhaka. In 2015, when plans were underway to construct a multi-storey building there, we protested against it and the plan was dropped. But later they constructed the building anyway."
"This is against the Antiquities Act and the High Court's judgment. The way 52 families are living in this space can severely damage the site. This has to stop, and the establishment needs to be saved," he said.
Comments