What is Heritage Conservation Committee?

Recently, the Heritage Conservation Committee (HCC) has given its approval for the Central Vista Project. On January 5, the Supreme Court of India cleared the Central Vista Project but also asked the ministry to get mandatory approval for the project.

What is Central Vista Project?

Central Vista Project is a redevelopment project under which a new parliament building, development of a Central Secretariat for all Ministries, renovation of Rajpath, Vice-President’s residence and new Prime Minister’s residence and office are to be done.

What is the Heritage Conservation Committee (HCC)?

• Heritage Conservation Committee is a committee that is responsible for the conservation and preservation of heritage sites in Delhi.
• HCC has been set up under Section 23 in Delhi Building Byelaws, 1983.
• The committee is headed by the Additional Secretary of Housing and Urban Affairs (HUA) Ministry and includes other government officials.
• As per the Court, approval must be taken from HCC before starting any work on the ground.
• The committee works for the preservation of heritage buildings in accordance with the Unified Building Bye-Laws, 2016.
• HCC has a grading system for all the buildings. It divides the buildings into three grades- Grade I, II, and III.
• Grade I includes Historical importance buildings in which no changes are allowed.
• Grade II includes buildings of local importance as per the architecture or historical importance. Internal changes are allowed in such buildings.
• Grade III comprises buildings that revoke sociological or architectural interest. Both internal changes and adaptive reuse is allowed in these buildings.

So far, HCC has notified 886 buildings in its heritage list.