kolkata architects conservationists and prominent citizens of kolkata have expressed shock and anger over the covert manner in which kmc has downgraded a heritage building so that it can be demolished writer amit chaudhuri who has launched a movement against demolition of architecturally significant buildings in kolkata lashed out at the civic authority for planning the destruction of roxy cinema by shifting it from grade iia list that ensured its protection to grade iii that allows it to be torn down the profligate disregard for kolkatas historic built environment continues kolkata is in the unique position of having its heritage looked out for by a committee whose brief seems to be to destroy extant heritage buildings chaudhuri saidbritish heritage expert james simpson who is a great admirer of kolkatas art deco buildings wondered how roxy had lost its significance it is not simply a matter of history or of association with particular people or events but also for their intrinsic merit as architecture andor the contribution they make to the quality of urban scene or townscape heritage means that it is something which has been inherited from the past and is of such value that it should be enabled to survive for the benefit of future generations chaudhury explained according to him if kmc considers roxy redundant as a cinema hall it can be creatively adapted for another use like office space or accommodation manish chakraborti conservation architect and a member of kmc heritage committee till recently has called for urgent legal intervention to stop the building from being demolished once we ensure the buildings survival we can discuss about creative reuse of the building he saidrosinka chaudhuri professor of cultural studies at the centre for studies in social sciences who saw a bauhaus mansion at 31 sunny park disappear overnight concurs and has urged bonani kakkar of public to explore the legal optionthe heritage act or notification for listing and grading that allows demolition of a grade iii listed buildings by simply putting up a plaque has also come up for scrutiny many are wondering how a heritage list meant to be prepared to safeguard heritage building can talk about demolition as a phrase in the notification the kmc act section captioned when heritage building ceases to be heritage building states if the corporation decides that any heritage building has ceased to be of public interest or has lost its importance for any reason whatsoever it may with the approval of the state government declare that such heritage building has ceased to be a heritage building for the purposes of this actkakkar who discussing the possibility of filing a pil on the issue with lawyers points out that roxy has not ceased to be of public interest nor has it lost its importance kmc cannot delist on whimsy like it did for minervachaplin theatre that was razed she pointed out some years ago public had managed to roll back the delisting of bishops house despite an attempt to argue