Jaipur: The state Budget announcement for the construction of a second IPD Tower at J K Lon Hospital has ignited a controversy among experts and locals who argue that the new structure would compromise the aesthetic value of the historic Albert Hall and the surrounding areas.Town planners, architects and historians expressed concern about the impact on the buffer zone of the UNESCO World Heritage site along JLN Marg, and urged preservation of the region’s historical integrity against modern construction projects resembling the contentious IPD Tower at SMS Hospital.A senior town planner of the urban development and housing (UDH) department stated that the Ashok Gehlot govt already made a mistake by constructing the IPD Tower inside SMS Hospital right on JLN Marg.“If BJP govt continues with its decision to construct another tower on this iconic stretch, it would be a gross violation of the heritage preservation norms. One shall understand that Albert Hall is a historic structure recognised internationally. They shall not compromise with both the aesthetic and historic values of such an historic structure and the three-year-old world heritage city,” the town planner stated.Speaking to TOI, Chandra Sekhar Parashar, former additional chief town planner Rajasthan, stated that from a heritage standpoint, visibility was a legal and cultural asset, often referred to as Visual Integrity.He stated that many historic cities like London, Paris, or Jaipur had strict “viewing corridors”, protected lines of sight that prevented new, tall buildings from blocking the view of ancient monuments.“We have a set of laws for such corridors inside the Walled City because of the UNESCO tag. Unfortunately, since Albert Hall is outside the periphery of Walled City, there is no such enforcement. The govt must understand that heritage site is not just the building itself, but the space around it and the stretch of JLN Marg till Moti Doongri is considered as a buffer zone of the World heritage site,” Parashar, who was a member of the UNESCO-appointed Heritage Cell for Walled City, added.Residents instead advised the govt to expand facilities of JK Lon Hospital inside the compound of RUHS in Pratap Nagar.“Imagine a huge number of patients coming to the two IPD Towers on either side of the JLN Marg. What an impact it would have on the traffic, overall congestion and pollution of such an iconic stretch,” stated Anant Kasliwal, a lawyer.
