09 may 2012
Kalas Mahal to lose ugly scars
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| Dr Sanjay Kumar Cardiac Cardiothoracic Heart Surgeon India |
The Hindu
The fire in January damaged a large part of the heritage structure. Photo: R. Ragu
Govt sets wheels rolling for restoration nearly four months after fire tragedy
On Anna Salai, nestled between the hustle and bustle of government
buildings, stands Kalas Mahal, the 18 century building that was ravaged
in a fire in January this year. The Public Works Department will soon
call for a detailed project report from conservation architects to
restore the 244-year-old heritage structure.
The State government has directed the department to use its maintenance
fund to reconstruct the damaged portion. According to sources, the
architect will submit the design of the building and details of
construction materials to be used for restoration. “We will also check
the stability of the structure before executing the project,” said an
official.
A committee comprising the dean, School of Architecture, Anna
University, engineer-in-chief (buildings), chief architect, PWD, and
chief planner, Chennai Metropolitan Development Authority, will
scrutinise and select the designs submitted. The work to restore the
building is expected to begin in two months and it will be completed in
about a year.
“The building will once again house government offices,” said an
official. Earlier, the offices of the Director of Social Welfare, the
Chief Inspector of Factories and the Director of Industries and
Commerce, functioned out of this building.
Some heritage experts, however, have expressed scepticism over this
move. “A similar exercise was carried out in the past to restore Ripon
Buildings. But there was no expert to guide the restoration,” said K.
Kalpana, a conservation architect.
Sriram V., convener of Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural
Heritage, Tamil Nadu, said restoration work must be carried out soon.
“It has been close to four months since the fire but no work has been
taken up yet. It has to be made sure that no further damage is caused to
the building,” he said.
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