These 2 Heritage Sites in Mumbai win UNESCO award for conservation

In a welcoming news for Mumbaikars, the Byculla railway station of Central Railways (CR) has received an award of merit for conservation.

Announcing this, the ministry of railways in an official statement mentioned that Byculla, Indian Railways' oldest living station, has received UNESCO’s Asia Pacific Cultural Heritage Conservation award of merit for restoration work carried out over the last three years.

The station was built in 1853. A non-governmental agency (NGO) called ‘I Love Mumbai, which is headed by Shaina NC, and The Bajaj Group Charitable Trust carried out the restoration work of the Central Line railway station of the Mumbai Suburban Railway station.

A great moment of pride for all #Mumbaikar's as ILMs #Byculla Railway Station Heritage Restoration project wins 🏆 UNESCO ASIA PACIFIC AWARD OF CONSERVATION !!! @GiantsWelfare #BajajFoundation @abhasinghlawyer #ILoveMumbai @Dev_Fadnavis @narendramodi @BJP4India @AmitShah pic.twitter.com/fZXPm2716x

— Shaina Chudasama Munot (@ShainaNC) November 26, 2022

It has been restored to its original Gothic, heritage, architectural glory by Abha Narain Lambah Associates as their CSR initiative under the guidance of Central Railway officials.

Besides, the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Vastu Sangrahalaya (CSMVS) also won the highest award of excellence in the UNESCO Asia Pacific awards 2022 for cultural heritage conservation giving a double pride moment to the people of Mumbai city.

For those unversed, the CSMVS, which is part of the Victorian gothic and art deco ensembles of Mumbai World Heritage property in India, got the award as it impressively restored ‘a major civic institution in the historic city of Mumbai’.

The jury of the UNESCO Asia Pacific awards 2022 noted, “The project addressed extensive deterioration through well-informed architectural and engineering solutions, overcoming major challenges during the pandemic.”

The museum is a major landmark in the Kala Ghoda Art precinct, in South Mumbai, formerly known as the Prince of Wales Museum of Western India and is one of the premier art and history museums in India. The museum is an autonomous institution unaided by the government but supported by public-private partnerships.