GG News Bureau
Patna, 11th Dec. Eight Tuscan-style pillars from the now-demolished Dutch-era Record Room of the old Patna Collectorate have been preserved and prominently displayed in the newly inaugurated Patna Collectorate complex. Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar inaugurated the multi-storey modern facility, which consolidates the offices of 39 administrative departments.
The preserved pillars, described as a “symbol of Dutch architecture,” are set in a crescent formation near the bays of underground parking lots. A senior official highlighted the engineering challenge of safely removing the pillars during the redevelopment process. A metal plaque accompanies the installation, commemorating the pillars’ historic significance as part of the court-mandated preservation effort.
The Dutch-era Record Room, a 300-year-old landmark, was demolished in 2022 despite years of protests from heritage activists. Notably, the site was featured in Richard Attenborough’s 1982 Oscar-winning film Gandhi. Although it was listed in the Bihar government’s 2008 publication Patna: A Monumental History, the structure was not protected by either the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) or the state archaeology department.
Conservation architect Diptanshu Sinha, a key figure in the campaign to save the Collectorate, expressed sorrow over the loss, calling the display of the pillars a token gesture that fails to compensate for the destroyed heritage.
The controversy around the redevelopment project gained national attention after legal battles, including a plea by heritage body INTACH. The courts eventually permitted the demolition but directed the preservation of key architectural elements.
The new Collectorate complex, constructed over 2.5 years, aims to modernize administrative operations in Patna while retaining a vestige of its historic roots.
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