Mumbai: ‘This isn’t a fort anymore,' row erupts over Bandra Fort restoration

The Bandra Fort Fort walls covered with plaster. Pics/Ashish Raje

A controversy has erupted over the conservation work currently going on at the Bandra Fort. Residents have alleged that the conservation process has completely ruined the fort, while conservation architects say the procedure is in keeping with the tenets of archaeology and will take a few months to be completed.

Social media was abuzz with messages of a "ruined" Bandra Fort after the fort garden reopened after two years of redevelopment, on October 6. Vidyadhar Date, a resident of Bandra said, "After the reopening of Bandra Fort garden, I visited it and was shocked to find that the heritage character has been heavily tampered with. The old fort wall is completely plastered over so the whole character of the fort is gone. Can one imagine the walls of Raigad Fort or any other fort in Maharashtra plastered in a cream colour as is done here in the Portuguese-era Bandra Fort? How on earth did the heritage authorities allow this?"

Rocks have been replaced by stairways

Date added that the damage done to the Bandra Fort garden has to be seen to be believed. Earlier, one could see the fort wall from the entrance, but now, much of it is clearly damaged and plastered over beyond recognition. Fortunately, there are enough old photographs of the old fort so one can clearly see the ruin the makeover has caused. The old plaque is retained but looks incongruous amidst the plastering.

An X user, Rahul Bhatia put out a message mentioning the beautification of the Bandra Fort. "The work was going on when the park was closed. They have modernised it, replacing rocks with a staircase. There's certainly more public space now, but it isn't a fort."

The Bandra Fort garden which was closed soon after it was reopened

Asif Zakaria, former corporator of Bandra West, has written to the municipal commissioner regarding the renovation of the fort garden as well as removal of old plaques and history signage. "There were various plaques giving details of the heritage and history of the area. Sadly, rather than retaining the same and highlighting it at some prominent space, all those have been removed and discarded," said Zakaria.

The Directorate of Archaeology and Museums, under the Government of Maharashtra, awarded the work of conservation-restoration of Bandra Fort to Savani Heritage Conservation Pvt Ltd while Sankraman Design Studio is the consultant in charge. Conservation architects Shwetambari Shinde and Sapna Lakhe are consultants.

Speaking with mid-day, Shinde explained that it is not yellow colour over cement plaster. "In the Portuguese era, they used lime plaster to cover walls made up of small stones. While removing plaster from walls, we found lime plaster traces and used the same technique to restore it. We use brick powder as an admixture to strengthen it. It also gives a yellowish colour as a white colour is difficult to manage. There were questions about the arch wall also. We removed bricks from it and we will restore it after strengthening the wall. But someone clicked the picture while the work was going on which created a misunderstanding."

Shinde added that the work started in April 2024 and will be completed after 18 months, including the work of steps restoration and increasing the height of the walls slightly, at a cost of R1.5 crore. Currently, the restoration process of the Bandra Fort is in Phase 2.

Dr Anita Rane Kothare, head of the history department, St Xavier's College, said, "The plastering can be used during restoration and it is always good to do some conservation activity rather than doing nothing. Instead of plaster, stones and mud can be used in restoration to keep the aesthetics."

Kirtida Unwalla, a conservation architect, told mid-day that all actions/ interventions at archaeological sites need scientific justification. "So whosoever has carried out this intervention must offer such justification, with documentation of material and structural conditions, and thereby the action taken in the interest of philosophical and structural endorsement. They remain answerable."

Imran Ali, civic engineer and a site supervisor of Savani Heritage Conservation Pvt Ltd, said, "We have experience of more than 10 years across India in preserving heritage sites. We used only natural material while carrying out restoration work of the fort and there wasn't any use of artificial colour. The work is going on as per the consultant's advice."

Dr Vilas Wahane, assistant director of the Directorate of Archaeology and Museums, did not respond to calls and text messages.

Garden reopened, then shut

Meanwhile, the Bandra Fort garden, which was opened on October 6, was closed immediately after. Vinayak Vispute, assistant commissioner of H West ward said that the garden had been closed for two days to complete minor remaining work. It will reopen today (October 10) from 6 am to 10 am and 3 pm to 6 pm. It will remain closed thereafter for security reasons.

"We are working on a plan to extend timings when there is more illumination. There is an amphitheatre and the garden may be kept open till 9 pm," said a BMC official.

Oct 6
Day Bandra Fort garden was reopened