Neglected and left smouldering

EXACTLY A year ago, one of the most visible landmarks of the city, the stately General Post Office (GPO), was ravaged in a fire.

Nothing seems to have changed much since then. The post office continues to function in a make-shift place. No headway has been made by the investigating agencies regarding the cause of the fire. As for the much-touted Heritage Act, there is little progress.

The GPO is only one example of the establishment's attitude towards the cause of conservation of heritage monuments. The Senate House is another case wherein the Madras University remains a passive spectator to its gradual deterioration.

But, what hurts the city residents more is the utter insensitivity of the powers-that-be on this matter. As there are no political stakes involved, the parties do not bother. And, civic groups too are not able to pursue the subject to its logical conclusion for various reasons.

In the last 10 years, only a handful of heritage buildings were taken up for conservation. Eight years ago, the DGP's office, Perfect Unanimity, was about to be demolished by the Government. Thanks to the public campaign, not only the move was dropped but also the landmark was given a renewed lease of life.

An interesting irony was that when the Government had wanted the DGP to be pulled down, it carried out repairs on the then- dilapidated Admiralty House, Government Estate, so that the DGP's office could function from this building. Because it suited the Government, the Admiralty House, used as the Governor's residence till five or six decades ago, was taken up and not because of the demands from heritage lovers.

A successful attempt in the recent years was on the Vivekananda House in Triplicane and it got fructified as the Ramakrishna Math, a voluntary organisation, came forward to preserve it. It was only after persistent efforts of the Math that the Government agreed to hand it over on a lease basis.

In the context of the GPO, the Postal authorities say a detailed design has been chalked out, in such a way that the facade of the old GPO building will be retained, while taking care of requirements of a modern post office. ``A sum of Rs. one crore has been sanctioned. We have sent the design to the Chennai Metropolitan Development Authority (CMDA) for approval'', says Dr. U. Srinivasaraghavan, Chief Postmaster General of Tamil Nadu Circle. The root cause of the problem is that heritage conservation continues to be seen as a subject concerning the Town and Country Planning department or the CMDA or the Housing and Urban development department. Other departments or agencies do not seem to bother about it. It may look odd but is a fact that buildings, housing government offices, were constructed during the Raj with a rich aesthetic value. Even structures such as water pumping stations were built, adopting a unique style, such as the Kilpauk Headworks.

In contrast to this, most of the government buildings, raised after Independence, look like lifeless concrete structures. Unfortunately, this lack of sensitivity seems to be pervading the civil society too, lament urban historians.

By T. Ramakrishnan

Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Section  : Southern States
Previous : Two gangsters arrested after police firing
Next     : A cultural confluence