Dearth of staff in Public works Dept hits restoration of heritage buildings

The Public Works Department is inching close to finishing the restoration works on Chepauk Palace, one of the important heritage buildings within the city. Once completed, this would be the second such renovated structure in the city after Kalas Mahal, the space occupied by the Southern Bench of the National Green Tribunal (NGT) and the Justice Arumughaswamy Commission.

However, there are several buildings under the radar of the PWD, the condition of which are deteriorating each passing day, according to experts and heritage enthusiasts. Though PWD officials say that they have prepared proposals for renovation of other sites also, the works are hit by shortage of staff.

The five major heritage structures in the capital city are Kalas Mahal, Chepauk Palace, Humayun Mahal, Government Central Press in Mint, Connemera Public Library and Registrar's Office in George Town. “We have almost completed the restoration works of Chepauk Palace. For the rest, we have sent proposals to the government, which are expected to be sanctioned this year," said a senior official.

According to him, the structure of Connemera Library is strong. “We will be taking up works pertaining to roof among other works. Apart from that, routine maintenance works are being taken up throughout the year," the official added.

The Justice E Padmanabhan Committee that was constituted by the Chennai Metropolitan Development Authority (CMDA) to look at heritage conservation had notified 467 buildings in the city, including those under private ownership, as protected monuments in its report. Of these, 85 are government buildings in the city, including 53 that come under the direct control of the Heritage Wing of the PWD. The rest are under various government departments, State and Central, including the Postal Department, Tamil Nadu Electricity Board, etc.

Under the Heritage Wing, there are buildings in other parts of the State, including 120 buildings at Coimbatore-Salem region, 40 in Tiruchy (including Pudukkottai) and 60 in Madurai region comprising southern part of the State.

Official sources said 10 buildings each at Madurai and Tiruchy regions have been earmarked for immediate restoration, but the work has been hit by a serious shortage of staff. Sources said the wing has been working with just 25 per cent of the actual number. “Currently, our team alone takes care of various aspects ranging from preparing the detailed project report (DPR) to the maintenance work. This is the major reason for the delays,” said an official.

However, sounding upbeat, the official said the PWD would undertake important projects in the coming five years, including Clock Tower Building in Madras University, Kuthirai Vandi Court and Governor's bungalow in Coimbatore, and Nagercoil Court in Kanniyakumari.

The 150-year old Kuthirai Vandi Court would be restored at an estimated cost of Rs 8.5 crore, an official added.

The Heritage Wing executes these projects with technical inputs from the Heritage Conservation Committee of the CMDA, INTACH, and an IIT team. “The major cause of concern is that the agencies that are entrusted with the protection of heritage buildings, Heritage Conservation Committee of the CMDA and the Chennai Corporation, are not taking up their responsibility," said Tara Murali, the co-convenor of INTACH, Chennai Chapter.

"The city had lost a number of heritage buildings, including those under private ownership, over the years, which includes the headquarters of Binny Limited on Armenian Street in Parrys. The recent decision to demolish a heritage building located inside the premises of children’s hospital in Egmore is also unfortunate. It is worrisome that they have not undertaken any measures to protect these buildings,” she added.

Pointing out that the evaluation system at the end of execution of each project was absent, Tara said there was an urgent need to strengthen human resource, knowledge and the system to deliver quality work.

“There is no prescribed document that has laid down the standards. The common understanding is that the restoration should be carried out by maintaining the original character of the building, using artisans instead of machines,” she elaborated. The aim of restoration, she added, is to reuse old materials, and carry out the works with the building materials that were used during the original construction. “For instance, if red and grey stone were used in the original construction, then the same should be procured to maintain the integrity,"she said.