The past is as glorious as you care for it

Earlier this month, Supreme Court sharply rebuked MCD and ASI over their failure to protect Delhi's historic sites. It's a telling reminder of how little real value state agencies place on the past. That MCD lacks basic land ownership records for Lal Mahal, a 13th-c. palace near Nizamuddin Dargah, tells its own story. Lodhi-era tombs in Zamrudpur in south Delhi being left vulnerable to encroachment is also telling. These are not obscure ruins on a distant frontier but part of the capital city's inheritance. Public agencies are duty-bound to safeguard them.

Delhi is Delhi because of its layers of history, visible in its monuments, tombs, gardens, old neighbourhoods. This is lived heritage, not just reserved for heritage walks or as sites for official speeches. These spaces define the city's distinct character, bridging its present with the past. Allowing them to be encroached upon, or forgotten, diminishes the city itself. Conservation need not mean cordoning off history. Properly protected and imaginatively managed, historic sites can anchor urban renewal, creating accessible public spaces. Sunder Nursery is compelling proof: restoration, landscaping and sensitive public access transformed a neglected landscape into a vibrant urban destination.

Government agencies must stop using overlapping jurisdictions as an excuse for inaction. They must establish clear ownership records, halt encroachments, secure conservation funding and collaborate to integrate heritage into public life. The apex court must demand measurable action, not another round of empty official assurances. For a country that talks about its 'glorious past' at a drop of a hat, we sure find investing in a more liveable, distinctive and humane city to be cumbersome.