The 450-year-old Ek Toda masjid at Daulatkhana in Khadia, a privately owned heritage structure, is in ruins, but the AMC is ignoring it. After being struck by lightning, its 60-foot minaret was damaged. Its ruins were demolished by AMC in 2018, but no efforts have been made to restore it since then.
Despite Ahmedabad being named India’s first World Heritage City in 2017, the AMC remains unconcerned. A full-fledged heritage cell is also in place to look after such structures.
After the lightning strike, then-AMC Commissioner Vijay Nehra announced that the minaret would be restored for Rs 1 crore. The structure, as well as the remnants of the minaret, have been left to the vagaries of nature. According to experts, if immediate action is not taken, the heritage will be lost forever.
According to sources, the mosque is a private property, so AMC is not spending money on it. Companies and business groups aren’t stepping forward to help.
In the city, there are three types of heritage structures: those maintained by the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI), those maintained by the AMC, and those maintained by both. Only a few others are privately owned, and it is unclear who will be responsible for their upkeep.
AMC has set aside heritage TDR (transferable development rights) for the preservation of heritage structures in the walled city’s pols. However, the experiment was a complete failure.
“The minarets of the Ek Toda Masjid were taken down after numbering the stones,” said Ashish Trambodia, a member of the Ahmedabad World Heritage City Trust. The mosque is a privately owned building that is managed by a trust. Grants for the restoration of private heritage properties are not available from the AMC. We attempted to enlist the help of some corporations, but none responded.”
Deputy Municipal Commissioner of the heritage department C R Kharsan said, “I do not have complete information about the Ek Toda Masjid. I will look into the matter.”
MLA Imran Khedawala said, “We have made several representations to the Commissioner and the heritage coordination committee in the last three years. However, restoration work has not been taken up. The heritage grant of AMC remains unused and on the other hand heritage structures like Ek Toda Masjid remain devoid of funds.”
Surprisingly, the masjid does not appear on the list of heritage sites. Matwali Sajada Nashin Pirzada Sayed Nayar Ahmed trust owns it. It was built in 1570 by Sheikh Mohmmed Gaus, the Mughal emperor Humayun’s spiritual guide.
Gaus remained in Ahmedabad for 18 years, waiting for the mosque to be completed. It will be impossible to restore the collapsed minarets even if one stone goes missing. AMC has not made any preparations to keep them safe.