Vadodara MP Ranjan Bhatt made proposal to shift the building taking shape inside railway academy

Vadodara MP Ranjan Bhatt had made a proposal to shift the multi storey building

construction of multi storey building in the historic garden of Pratap Vilas Palace. Housing the only railway university of India the palace is now known as The National Academy of Indian Railways.

During the zero hour of the Parliament session, the MP made a presentation in mother tongue Gujarati on the construction of the building and facilities at Vadodara Airport.

Ranjan Bhatt in Gujarati said, Vadodara is a civilized, educational, cultural city and railway officers from all across the country came here at the Railway academy situated at Pratapnagar. The Gaekwad family gives the campus and historical Pratap Vilas Palace to the government and the railway board to give training to the officers.

Presently a four storey building is taking shape just in front of the heritage palace by Rail Vikas Nigam Limited. As a result the beauty of the palace will be lost and get covered. She request the railway board and the Nigam to stop the work and shifted it to some other place to retain the beauty of the area.

She further said that the historic Pratap Villa Palace is located in the Railway Staff College campus and it’s beauty will be gone after the construction of the building. She proposed it to be constructed at another place in Vadodara instead of in front of Pratap Vilas Palace.

Apart from this, MP Ranjan Bhatt point out to increase facilities at Vadodara airport. She said, Vadodara city is located between industrial units and national highway. If Immigration and Hub and Spoke facility at Vadodara Airport is started immediately, it will be easier for thousands of people from Central Gujarat to go abroad. Passengers are currently facing difficulties due to lack of immigration and hub and spoke facilities at Vadodara Airport.

Earlier the Royal Family of Vadodara and Maharaja Fatesingh Museum Trust starts a online petition to stop the construction of multi storey building in the historic garden of Pratap Vilas Palace. The petition appealed the citizens of Vadodara to sign it and save the historic building to lose its grenduer.

The petition states, Disturbingly for the city of Vadodara and it’s Royal Family, a decision has been taken to construct a multi storey building in the historic Raja Baug or the garden overlooking the Pratap Vilas Palace.

This is to accommodate the National Rail and Transportation Institute and other offices. The markings on the ground have begun but construction is yet to start.

A new concrete multi-storey construction right in front of this 106-year- old heritage palace will certainly destroy the facade, landscape, scale, beauty and history of this landmark of Vadodara. The Pratap Vilas Palace estate also accommodates the ‘Oval Ground’ an open area, 90 degrees to Raja Baug. The same construction can be accommodated on this centrally situated open space. The city has already lost a historic and archeological jewel like Nazarbaug, let us not destroy another.