KARACHI: The dusty and rusty structure of an under-construction pedestrian bridge in the grounds of the DJ Sindh Government Science College has raised concerns among architects and urban planners in the city.

They believe that the bridge, which will be constructed over a 55-foot wide road, will obscure the facade of the historical college which was established in 1887 by philanthropist Diwan Dayaram Jethmal, after whom it is named.

Architect and heritage consultant Marvi Mazhar wrote about her concerns to the technical committee of the culture and heritagedepartment claiming that if they went ahead with constructing the pedestrian bridge, it would set a bad trend for the inner city roads.

`It is going to cause severe visual obstructions,` she said, adding that the buildings in the area were already dilapidated and such bridges would make the situation worse.

According to urban planner Farhan Anwar, such bridges were made mostly for hoardings and billboards where money was the main objective. `Pedestrian access is not their priority,` he said, adding that it was illegal to make such changes at a heritage site.

He explained that as per the Sindh Culture Heritage (Preservation) Act 1994, the pro-vincial government had declared the college as a protected heritage site which meant and according to the law there could be no construction inside the college or its grounds.

Historian Kaleemullah Lashari, who is part of the technical committee, confirmed that they had received a proposal to construct a pedestrian bridge in the premises of the college to make it easier for students to cross the road and attend their classes.

`The principal said that crossing the road so frequently could put the lives of the students in danger so they wrote to the Karachi Metropolitan Corporation (KMC) to help them,` said Mr Lashari, adding that the KMC agreed toconstruct the pedestrian bridge as they have the experience to do so.

However, he explained, once they brought the structure to the site, they realised that since the college was a protected building they needed permission from the technical committee before proceeding.

`We told them that if the pedestrian bridge was constructed it would come in the way of the building`s beauty and history,` he said.

`The principal claimed that their main concern was protecting the lives of their students. So we said, fine, send us a proposal which we can discuss at the advisory meeting.

He added that, the technical committee has asked the DIGTraffic, KMC`s engineering and traffic bureau and NED`s heritage cell to weigh in.

Another board member of the committee, Anila Naeem, professor at NED University, said it was discussed and in principle was disagree with, `but the principal is adamant as he claims it`s a security hazard and because of that pressure we gave in`.

`My personal opinion is that it wasnotneeded astheroadisnota traffic heavy road,` she said, addingthatthe boardhadgrantedconditional permission as the pedestrian bridge can be dismantled if need be.

Architect Arif Belgaumi, who was on site on Thursday morning, said there was no need for a pedestrian bridge as `it takes two steps to cross the road`.

`It`s a heritage building, and this a violation of the Heritage Act if you look it up,` he said, adding that the area around a heritage site was also considered part of the property.

`It is pretty clear that they have placed an alien object in the cultural context of the heritage building,` he said. `Who decidedtheyneeded apedestrianbridge? First you say we have a problem, then you address that problem and find solutions.

What if tomorrow they say we`ll put in an underpass to bypass the traffic? You need to work around the constructed environment; couldn`t this be solved with a pedestrian or zebra crossing?` A source at the KMC said that the bridge is being constructed to connect the different campuses of the university asper the principal`s request. `It is almost complete, the deck is done and everything is ready,` he said, adding that they had sent a request to the heritage committee.

`Once they say yes, it will take us another 15 days to complete our work, said the source. `The pedestrian bridge is being constructed to facilitate the students and faculty. Several accidents and injuries have been reported in the area in the last couple of years,` he added.

According to the source, concerns had been raised earlier by Shehri-Citizens for a Better Environment about obstructing the heritage building. The foundation of the pedestrian bridge is around 88-feet away from the building and it is not obstructing or affecting the architectural beauty ofthe building.

DJ Science College Principal Dr Muhammad Arshad said that if the bridge is not built, the road would remain a threat to the life and safety of the college students.`Students of ten go from the main building where the labs are to across the street to the AQ Khan Block where classes are held (next to the mosque),` he said, adding that around 25-30 students had been injured.

`I was hit by a car myself when crossing the road before class. A few months ago a student was hit and had three fractures and I had to carry him to the hospital myself,` said the principal. `The students were agitated and said that they would protest but I told them that we would find a solution together. It was with this in mind that we went to the KMC and they heard us.

He added that they submitted an application to the KMC which was accepted and work started on the pedestrian bridge.

`We need to ask ourselves what is really important a heritage building, a bridge or the well-being of students?` asked the principal.