Patna, Oct. 21: The heritage buildings of Patna University would soon regain their lost glory. For, the university administration has a number of plans up its sleeve to give them a fresh lease of life.

On the top of the renovation list is Darbhanga House. Patna College and the directorate of distance education (DDE) buildings nearby could also benefit from the restoration plan.

Sources said the main problem for Darbhanga House is illegal encroachments. The building, constructed by Maharaja Kameshwar Singh of Darbhanga, also houses a Kali temple. As a result, a number of makeshift shops selling flowers and puja items have sprung up on its premises. “Some of these shops are owned by university employees or their relatives,” said a source.

If the plans of the university administration are anything to go by, then the days of these shops could be numbered. PU vice-chancellor Shambhu Nath Singh told The Telegraph: “The university has formed a five-member committee to remove illegal encroachments from the premises of Darbhanga House. Hindi department head Balram Tiwari will head the committee.”

This is not the first time that the university has tried to evict the encroachers. The past efforts have not been successful, though.

“This time we are very serious about the encroachment problem,” said Singh. “We have asked the committee to deal strictly with the squatters.” The help of the district administration and the police could also be sought.

The renovation work at the heritage building was recently stopped when some teachers and students noticed that the material used for the repair did not match with the original construction. Amit Prakash, a student, said: “We noticed that during renovation, white tiles were laid on the floor. These clashed with the original cement flooring.”

To prevent such problems in the future, the varsity administration has decided to write to the state government. “We will request the government to constitute a panel of teachers to supervise the renovation of these structures so that the glory of the old buildings are revived,” said Singh.

Another building that would benefit from the renovation plan is Patna College. Established in 1863, the college was built in the Dutch style with airy rooms. At present, the structure is crying for repair. Sources said the roof has leaks. Most of its windowpanes are broken.

Randhir Kumar Singh, a teacher at the college, said: “Renovation work was started at Patna College in 2006. The institute got Rs 80 lakh from the state government. But not much was done.”

Adjacent to the Patna College is the PU administrative block. The DDE building on the campus of the administrative block is also in a sorry state.

Broken windows and leaking roofs could, however, soon be a part of the history of these heritage buildings.