Guwahati: The demolition of Mahafezkhana, a historic land records office dating back to British colonial rule in Assam, has sparked a debate over the preservation of heritage structures in Guwahati.
The Guwahati Metropolitan Development Authority (GMDA) razed the more than 160-year-old building as part of the Brahmaputra riverfront beautification project, without any prior consultation with the city’s residents.
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Constructed between 1855 and 1865, Mahafezkhana stood as a testament to early colonial-era engineering.
This substantial brick and corrugated sheet structure, measuring 86 ft x 77 ft, featured imposing iron entry gates, 20-inch thick walls, and a continuous covered verandah, designed to provide enhanced protection.
Having withstood the test of time for nearly a century and a half, it was situated near the treasury, serving as a vital archive and repository for administrative orders, land records, patta, jamabandi, and namzari papers.
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Mahafezkhana was more than just a building; it was a tangible link to Assam’s administrative, architectural, and archival heritage. Once the custodian of crucial records, the structure symbolized the foundation of the colonial governance system in the region.
According to the late historian Dipankar Banerjee, “The Mahafezkhana or the record room at Guwahati possibly came into existence between 1855 and 1865. Situated at the 4th part of Guwahati town under Ulubari mouza, adjacent to the then deputy commissioner’s office, the mahafezkhana is probably the oldest building in Guwahati.”
The GMDA’s action has sparked widespread condemnation, with many expressing their outrage on social media.
“OUTRAGEOUS! #Mahafezkhana — Assam’s oldest surviving concrete structure, perhaps the oldest in all of Northeast India — has been mercilessly destroyed by GMDA in the name of a park extension! This is not just demolition — this is desecration,” wrote senior journalist Mrinal Talukdar on X.
Filmmaker and journalist Utpal Borpujari lamented, “What 1857 and 1950 quakes couldn’t achieve…we as a community have no respect for heritage and history. #Mahaphezkhana.”
“It could have been restored, converted to a museum-cafe and preserved. But who bothers? Our civil society, media – nobody speaks out on such matters to create public opinion. A few like us may do social media outraging, and that will be the end of the story,” he said.
Another user wrote on X, “A beautiful opportunity to preserve a heritage building is lost forever…This is sheer mindless sycophant bureaucracy at work…The place could have been a museum showcasing its contents, a modern library with a cafe and what not. Truly sad.”
The incident has raised serious questions about the Assam government’s commitment to preserving its historical legacy amidst rapid urban development.