आम मुंबईकर को चाहिये विकास, जयराज फाटक

आम मुंबईकर को चाहिये विकास, जयराज फाटक
No heritage structure is worth preserving if not even ten people visit it every day, municipal commissioner Jairaj Phatak has said. The comment was made in the context of the redevelopment plan for Crawford Market. “People go to Crawford Market to buy fruit and vegetables, they use CST to commute, not to gaze at the architecture. I am not implying that these should be demolished... but Mumbai needs development not heritage,’’ he said. “If not even ten people from the same ward go to see it, what use is an old building?’’ he added. While the government had the resources to preserve and restore old buildings, private owners found it tough. “It costs more to renovate old structures. Why should somebody pay because his ancestors built a grand house while a neighbour with a plain home can sell it at market value?’’ he asked.