Standing committee sanctions ₹150 crore for restoration project at Vishrambaug wada

PUNE The Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) has decided to preserve and restore a canopied structure, known as a Meghdambari, that is part of the Vishrambaug wada, in itself a Grade 1 heritage structure.

The PMC’s standing committee, on Wednesday, sanctioned ₹1.50 crore to restore and preserve the Meghdambari.

Shivaji Lanke, superintendent engineer of the construction department of the PMC, said, “As of date, PMC has spent ₹2 crore on restoration of the wada structure. Now we will restore this Meghdambari which is made of wood. We have been given six months to complete the work.”

Vishrambaug wada, influenced by the Peshwa style of architecture, was built in 1807 AD, designed by Mansaram Laxman and Daji Suthar.

“In the late 1950s, when Pune was a municipal council, it was used as an administrative building,” Lanke added.

The wada is primarily built out of wood and decorated with cypress tree-shaped columns. Each of these columns is built from a single teak tree, a traditional residential form of Maratha architecture. The wada sits on an acre-and-a-half of land.

Meanwhile, the PMC will audit all dilapidated buildings, including wadas, before the monsoon. The PMC has also started a structural audit of its employee residential complexes, located at Wakdewadi, Pandav Nagar (Ghorpade peth), Rajewadi (Nana peth), Sane Gurujinagar and Rajendranagar.