Following their meeting with the Mussoorie Dehradun Development Authority (MDDA) vice-chairman, the local students activist group Making a Difference by Being the Difference (MAD) submitted a list of cultural sites in need of conservation for the Doon smart city project.
Founder president of the group Abhijay Negi states in the letter, “In pursuance of our meeting yesterday, where we had told you that we shall find out about the heritage sites within the geographical area for the proposed Doon smart city project. We have consulted several hundred of our members along with subject experts including Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage (INTACH), Uttarakhand chapter convener lokesh Ohri for drafting the list of cultural heritage sites in Doon,” he said.
The list submitted by the group to the MDDA vice chairman contains 52 such identified sites of cultural value including the Guru Ram Rai Durbar, the Clock Tower, Mansaram building, Dhara Chowki, Gandhi Park, Astley Hall, Major Young’s Castle (St. Joseph’s Academy central building), Dilaram Bazaar, Central Defence Accounts building, Field Survey Officers’ Mess, Hathibadkala Estate, Sardarji’s Tea Shop, Rajpur Area, Pratap Kothi, Rajpur, War Memorial, Rajpur, Kipling Road, Dhak Patti, Teli Mandir, Shiva Temple, Ghaas Mandi, Tibetan Home, Rajpur, Christian Retreat and Meditation Center, Shehenshahi Ashram, Jain Temple, Vivekananda Bawdi at Rajpur, Gillespie’s Memorial at Sahastradhara, Tapovan, Maldevta temple, Adhat Bazaar, Dehradun railway station, Hotel White House, Parade Ground, Rangers’ College, Survey Chowk, among others.
The group has further expressed hope that these places identified will feature in the project proposal and genuine measures at their conservation would be taken.