Red Land building
Source: The Sangai Express

Imphal, October 08 2025: Dr RK Ranjan, former Union Minister of State for External Affairs and Education, has written to Governor Ajay Kumar Bhalla, urging action to prevent the demolition of the Red Land Building in Shillong where the Manipur Merger Agreement was signed on September 21, 1949, and to ensure its renovation.

In the letter, Dr Ranjan said that the site marks one of the most significant Constitutional events in the history of Manipur and its integration into the Indian Union.

It is reported that the historic building is proposed for demolition, he said and sought the intervention of the Governor to prevent the demolition and promote scientific renovation and heritage conservation in accordance with National heritage protection laws and policies.

Dr Ranjan also requested the Governor to facilitate inter-State and Central heritage protection measures, including recognizing the site as a protected heritage landmark, and to encourage repurposing the building into a Manipur Merger Memorial Hall and Archival Interpretation Centre for public education and research by exhibiting original documents, photographs and testimonies relating to the Merger Agreement.

Saying that the proposed demolition of the historic building violates National and international heritage protection frameworks, he urged the Governor to address the issue with the Chief Secretaries of Manipur and Meghalaya and the State Department of Art and Culture to halt demolition plans and initiate immediate heritage protection protocols.

Among others, Article 49 of the Constitution directs States to protect monuments and sites of historical interest while Ancient Monument and Archaeological Sites and Remains Act, 1958 (as amended in 2010) enables heritage conservation beyond ancient monuments to include post-independence heritage assets of historical values, he said.

Stating that the demolition of the Red Land Building would represent loss to India's archival and historical landscape, Dr Ranjan urged the Governor to take up necessary actions to include the site in the North East Heritage Circuit.

Comment