One year on, restoration of of Mandvi pavilion to begin

Vadodara: More than a year after damage to the pillars of the Mandvi pavilion in the walled city was reported, restoration work on the heritage structure is set to begin on Wednesday, with construction material reaching the site on Tuesday.The issue had been under discussion since April last year. Owing to the technical complexity of conservation work on a heritage monument, consultants and the Vadodara Municipal Corporation (VMC) took time to finalise the restoration plan. Heritage conservation experts and city-based organisations were also consulted to assess the condition of the structure.
A detailed proposal for the restoration was prepared in Dec and placed before the VMC standing committee, which approved it last month. Standing committee chairman Sheetal Mistry said the Mandvi pavilion restoration was among the projects symbolically inaugurated by the chief minister during his recent visit to the city. Mistry said the contractor had been instructed to begin work without waiting for further formalities. The standing committee cleared the proposal to award the work for Rs 4.96 crore after negotiations. The project will also include a detailed assessment of structural damage using non-destructive testing methods.Hariom Vyas, priest of the historic Vitthalnathji Temple located near the pavilion, said he was hopeful that the restoration would now move forward. Vyas had earlier drawn attention to the issue by standing barefoot under the structure for four hours as an act of penance. He said earlier repair works had failed to provide a lasting solution.Vyas said the civic body had finally acknowledged the need to protect the city's heritage. "We have been raising concerns about heritage structures for years, but concrete steps were not taken earlier. Now, funds have been allocated in the budget for heritage conservation," he said, adding that he would end his penance once the work progresses fully.