The building of Mansa Ram Bank, which was the identity of Rajpur Road-Ghantaghar area, will remain in the pages of history.
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Jagran Correspondent, Dehradun: The historic Mansa Ram Bank building, which was the identity of Rajpur Road-Ghantaghar area, will now remain in the pages of history. Following the order of the High Court, the process of demolishing this nearly 90 year old multi-storey building has been started.
With the sound of machines, an important chapter of Dehradun's urban development is also on the verge of ending. The building may disappear from the ground, but its presence will always remain in the history and memories of the city.
The place on Rajpur Road, which was considered to be the foundation of the city's modern market, is now visible where a pile of debris is visible. It is said that during the independence period of the country, Rajpur Road was considered to be the beginning of this building. It was not just a building, but a symbol of the era when Doon was a quiet, limited and planned city.
This 90 year old building had become completely dilapidated with time. Due to cracks in the walls, dampness and weak structure, it was also considered unsafe from earthquake point of view. Keeping security in mind, the process of its demolition was started on the instructions of the court.
One of the prestigious markets of the city is Rajpur Road- Ghantaghar area.
Rajpur Road-Ghantaghar area is considered to be the most prestigious market of the city. This area remains buzzing throughout the day with jewellery, clothes, photo studios and travel agencies. Even at that time, along with offices, there were residences of some families in the upper floors of the building.
The view of the clock tower, parade ground and Rajpur Road was clearly visible from the iron grill balconies. Many elders say that they have seen processions, parades and many important historical moments of the city from here. In old photographs, this building appears to be an important part of the skyline of Dehradun.
Times changed, the city expanded and new markets kept emerging. The shopkeepers left, the upper floors remained vacant and the expenditure on maintenance reduced. Due to non-payment of the full amount of the loan, this property first went under Bharat Insurance and later after its merger with LIC.
Construction of the building started in 1930
The Mansa Ram Building was built between the 1930s and 1940s by businessman Seth Mansa Ram. At a time when most of the houses in Doon were one or two storeyed, building a three storeyed commercial building was considered his biggest achievement.
For the construction, Seth Mansa Ram had taken a loan of Rs 1.25 lakh from Bharat Insurance Company, which was a huge amount at that time and is considered equivalent to crores of rupees in today's terms. The design of this building was inspired by Connaught Place of Delhi. Wide galleries, a row of shops, some offices and residences above, all this was completely new to Dehradun at that time.
For this reason people also started calling it 'Small Connaught Place of Doon'. Over the years, there has been debate about whether to demolish it, redevelop it or preserve it as a heritage building, but it could not get official heritage status. Ultimately, in view of its dilapidated condition and public safety, it was decided to demolish it.
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