Architect Charles Correa had a special bond with Bagalkot

HUBBALLI: Internationally acclaimed architect Charles Correa, who died on Wednesday, had a special bond with the people of Bagalkot as he had prepared the blueprint for Navanagar township. It was built to rehabilitate thousands of people who got displaced after the height of Almatti dam was raised to 521 metres.

His name is deeply entrenched in the minds of the people as he used to visit every nook and corner of the town to study the house structures, built in old style according to their socio-economic conditions.

Local residents fondly remember Correa as he had stayed in the town for few weeks, held consultations with various associations and citizen groups before preparing the design.
He was assigned this task by the then chief minister Ramakrishna Hegde.

“The blueprint designed by Charles Correa for Navanagar was a beautiful tree with old roots and new leaves. I have given impetus to its implementation after I became chairman of Bagalkot Town Development Authority (BTDA) in 1993. I had also held several rounds of meeting with him and his representatives to discuss the plan. He was a great visionary architect in preparing the design,” said Bagalkot District in-charge Minister S.R. Patil.

He had prepared the master plan based on Vastu. He had also provided alternative models to build independent houses without common wall concept. As many as 16,000 plots have been prepared and more than 6,000 families have already been shifted to new houses built in the township. The beautiful district office complex, roads, education institutions, stadium, hospital, garden and market places have transformed the town into wonderland.

“We had accompanied Correa during his visit while preparing the blueprint. He had expressed curiosity about style of old houses, its roof and wooden pillar. People of Bagalkot have great regards for the vital role he played in preparing design for the township,” said MLC and State BJP vice-president Narayansa Bhandage.