Visva Bharati VC Writes Again to Bengal CM, Urges Return of Road Lined with Heritage Buildings
Says UNESCO tag could be withdrawn if steps not taken to protect heritage properties
Bidyut Chakraborty, vice chancellor of Visva Bharati, has written a second letter to Mamata Banerjee, chief minister of West Bengal, imploring her to take into account the central university's appeal for the reinstatement of a road on the campus that is bordered with historic buildings.
In 2020, the state government's Public Works Department took over the three-kilometer road from the university "to facilitate better connectivity" to connect Post Office More and Sriniketan.
To conserve the historic buildings lining the road, the university has been calling for its reinstatement.
Since Santiniketan was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site on September 17, this was the VC's second letter to the CM, following one on September 25.
"The UNESCO tag given to Santiniketan by the International Committee for Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS) is likely to be withdrawn... if steps are not taken to protect the heritage properties lined up along the road falling under Visva Bharati property, it will be a big slap not only on West Bengal under your care but also those who worked hard day and night to get this international recognition," read the new letter sent to the CM on Saturday. A copy of the letter is available with
In the letter, the vice chancellor poked fun at some Ashramites and student union leaders who have been pushing for the PWD to keep control of the road, writing, "I would like to draw your attention to the fact that those who are insisting on the PWD's protection for the road will not take a second to put the entire blame on the Vice Chancellor and his team in case the UNESCO tag is withdrawn. This is how Visva-Bharati's critics behave.
In his first letter, Chakraborty had suggested that the road be given back so that the central university administration may either fully ban the movement of four-wheelers and three-wheelers on the road or let the varsity to at least keep an eye on the activity of the vehicles.
According to the Archaeological Survey of India, vibration from automobiles (aside from two-wheelers) negatively impacts the building inside the ashram, hence the road should be made car-free. In the last letter, the university stated that the ASI had issued a warning that if this behavior is not curbed right away, the buildings will just fall over time.
