The Royal Family of Baroda and the Maharaja Fatesingh Trust have sought public support against a proposed multi-storied structure, to be built by the Railways near Pratap Vilas Palace in Vadodara.
Irked by the proposed construction, the Royals of Baroda and the Trust, managed by their family, have begun an online petition. The proposed construction is to be in the Raja Baug garden which overlooks the 106-year-old property, which was leased to the Railways. The Railways eventually bought the property for over Rs 34 lakh in 1961. It had taken eight years to complete construction of the Palace.
The appeal has been issued by Rajmata Shubhanginiraje Gaekwad, Maharaja Samarjitsinh Gaekwad and his wife Maharani Radhikaraje Gaekwad. Shubhanginiraje is also the chancellor of the M. S. University of Baroda.
The petition states that the new concrete construction right in front of the 106-year-old heritage Palace will certainly destroy the facade, landscape, scale, beauty and history of the landmark of Vadodara.
The petition says that the city has already lost a historic and archaeological jewel when the Nazarbaug palace was demolished in 2014 after years of disrepair.
File photo of Maharajah Samarjitsinh Gaekwad with his wife, Radhikaraje, in front of Laxmi Vilas Palace | Nafis Khan
Samarjitsinh told THE WEEK that it is a 55-acre estate and the construction can be done at some other place. He said that it can also come up on the Oval Ground, which is on the estate. Samarjitsinh said that they would also write to the Railway Ministry and other authorities concerned.
Construction of the Palace began in 1908 and it is designed by Charles F. Stevens. It is of Renaissance-style architecture. Since 1952, the Palace has been used by the Railways as the Railway Staff College. Officers from across the country are trained in Vadodara. Samarjitsinh said that these officers have fond memories of the property and even they do not want the property to be affected.
He said that if it is not protected now, then perhaps 100 years later it would be gone.
According to sources in the Railways, there is a proposal to construct a building but it has not been finalized as yet. The building is to come up to accommodate National Rail and Transportation Institute and other offices.
The Royals of Baroda stay in Lakshmi Vilas Palace, which is three times bigger than the Buckingham Palace in London.
