Govt buildings to sport traditional designs in move to restore heritage architecture

Dehradun: In a significant move to preserve and revive indigenous architecture, craftsmanship and building designs, chief minister Harish Rawat on Saturday asked senior officials, including state chief secretary N Ravi Shankar and district magistrates of all nine hill districts to make the usage of local architecture and designs mandatory in the construction of over 50% of upcoming government buildings.
“Most of the old buildings in the hills still sport these designs on their exterior walls. It will not be difficult to copy these designs for use in most of the proposed government buildings at the Secretariat and other places in the state to preserve the heritage craftsmanship and designs,” said an expert in Dehradun.
Speaking to reporters at Almora, CM Rawat rued over how most of the age-old, elegant designs and architectural styles have gradually vanished with the passage of time for want of skilled labourers. “Once we start using the craftsmanship in government buildings, it will be a concrete step to preserve our local art and designs,” said Rawat adding that the move will help maintain the state’s architectural identity.
According to experts, the move will help re-employ craftsmen and artisans skilled in indigenous designs who began to go out of work as heritage designs went out of fashion.
“These rare designs are no longer used in most new houses, not even in the hills. The art and craftsmanship has is thus on its way to a slow death,” said 72-year-old building designer Balbeer Singh Rawat at Pokhri block in Chamoli district.
“There was a time when most people in the hills adorned their houses buildings with these designs but with considerable decline in the demand for such buildings, most of the artisans have been rendered jobless”, said cabinet minister Yashpal Arya.
The CM also announced a plan to introduce a one-year skill development and architecture course at Almora based Hariram Tamta Skill Center in order to train designers on methods to preserve heritage buildings and designs. He also stress the need to identify designers and architects to ascertain their exact strength. “We need to take steps to re-habilitate them properly and for that identification of the artisans and their talent is crucial,” the CM enphasised.