Forum: Install heritage marker in Chitty Road to remember site’s history
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The Urban Redevelopment Authority has awarded the tender for the conservation site in Chitty Road and Veerasamy Road in Little India to the highest bidder, YK Land, for about $35.3 million.
The 18 pre-war terrace houses on the plot, built in 1927 as municipal quarters, will be restored under conservation guidelines rather than be demolished.
This is welcome news for heritage lovers. I hope, though, that we can preserve not just the buildings but also the story behind them.
I suggest having a heritage marker installed in Chitty Road as part of the redevelopment, setting out the history of the site.
The site merits it. The road, which takes its name from the Chitty Melaka, or Peranakan Indians, is where 18 two-storey houses were built in 1927 as municipal quarters for government employees such as clerks, inspectors and minor officials who kept the city running.
Such information is what makes our heritage tangible rather than abstract.
A modest marker with a few well-chosen facts, perhaps with a QR code linking to fuller archives, would let residents and passers-by connect with a history that is otherwise easy to miss.
This heritage marker would be a useful addition to the existing 18 markers already in the Little India Heritage Trail.
Conserving a building preserves its facade, but heritage markers preserve its meaning and help us, as a young nation, keep sight of who we are.
K.B. Ryan Joshua Mahindapala