When the past becomes a hurdle for the present

will efforts to convert crawford market into a multi-storeyed commercial complex ever bear fruit? over a decade ago, the brihanmumbai municipal corporation (bmc) had envisaged a plan to construct a multi-storeyed commercial complex, in order to avail of the floor space index benefits. this was to happen after demolishing the heritage structure and the attached building, which occupies an area of 26,876 sq yards.the proposal received a boost after the heritage conservation committee and several prominent architects, along with planners, came together as part of an initiative to revitalise the premises through "sensitive" designing. also on the agenda was efficient handling of traffic and parking, while at the same time preserving the area's heritage value was considered important. following this, a contest was jointly announced by the bmc and the urban development research institute, to select the perfect design. the winning entry, from amongst the 30 which were selected for consideration, belonged to the delhi-based, father-daughter architect duo of narendra and roopak kothari. the high-profile jury included architects charles correa and balkrishna doshi, former heritage committee chairman jamshed kanga and former joint municipal commissioner c d desai. the winning entry envisaged the creation of a large open and semi-covered space between the l-shaped heritage structure and a diagonally-placed new building to provide for the municipality's requirements. the plan included a cylindrical departmental store and a new shopping complex, besides separate parking spaces for cars, lorries and taxis at the basement and ground level. the beautiful plan, however, was never realised and continues to remain filed away in the bmc headquarters. speaking to bombay times, architect hafeez contractor said, "there is this tendency among a certain segment of the society to preserve heritage structures. but if there is a way to preserve old structures as well as create an extra shopping space, there is nothing wrong in implementing it. but nobody wants to understand this." the bmc, meanwhile, claims that work on this project cannot be started because of shortage of funds. it has, however, envisaged a policy whereby the development of markets can be carried out by private builders. and therein lies the reason why the adjacent area was auctioned to goldleaf enterprises nearly six years ago, and which is now being converted into a shopping complex. but crawford market itself continues to be burdened by its heritage status, and plans for its improvement, are permanently on hold. bombaytimes@indiatimes.com