Lack of skilled manpower, materials hamper restoration of heritage buildings in Tamil Nadu

“We are facing a shortage of workers who are trained in traditional construction work to restore heritage buildings across the State. Due to this, they are working in shifts. This has led to delay in completing the work, said a senior official from the heritage wing of the department. To circumvent the shortage of skilled manpower, they are training construction workers, he added.

“Now there are more than 20 people working on restoring Humayun Mahal in Chepauk, one of the oldest heritage buildings in the city, but we don’t have workers to renovate the other buildings,” he added.

Another issue that is affecting the restoration work is the shortage of construction materials for heritage buildings. According to an official, the usual construction materials are not suitable for older buildings. Meanwhile, the work on Humayun Mahal is nearing completion after a year, with the finishing work of the outer portion having been started.

The department has also commenced the renovation of the old press building on Mint Street that was used for minting gold about 200 years ago. The structure had become weak due to lack of maintenance over the decades said an official, adding that it would be back to its original glory after the works are completed.

“Recently, we submitted a proposal to restore three education institutions. These include the Madras Veterinary College, the roof of which has been damaged. The restoration of the Madras University clock tower is almost complete. We have also identified more than 80 –90 heritage buildings across the State for restoration. After a detailed study, the proposal will be sent to the Secretariat for approval,” said the official.