Many public heritage buildings that were in dire need of repairs for several years may soon be restored. The Tamil Nadu government has sanctioned funds to conserve 29 heritage buildings across the State in the first phase.
A government order was issued on Wednesday, sanctioning ₹80.83 crore towards restoration of heritage structures that house government offices and courts.
Identifying buildings
This will be a major project for the Public Works Department (PWD) that has been restoring heritage buildings in Chennai. The PWD has identified heritage buildings across the State.
A separate ‘Building Centre and Conservation Division’ in the PWD, with 16 assistant engineers, has been working towards heritage conservation since 2016. There are sub-divisions in Madurai, Chennai and Tiruchi. The PWD has submitted a project to take up conservation of nearly 72 buildings.
Of the total number of 29 structures for which funds have been sanctioned, Kanniyakumari and Pudukottai account for five each. The Travellers Bungalow at Thiruvattar in Kanniyakumari district and the Collector’s residence at Pudukottai will get a facelift.
Two buildings each in Tiruchi, Thanjavur, Cuddalore, Madurai and Tiruvannamalai districts are being covered, in addition to one each in nine districts, including Sivaganga, Virudhunagar, Ramanathapuram and Dharmapuri.
The PWD is confident of restoring all buildings simultaneously, citing expertise gained through conserving heritage buildings such as the PWD Complex, Kalas Mahal and the Egmore Government Museum. It has collected details of about 200 structures across the State.
K.P. Satyamurthy, Joint Chief Engineer, PWD (Buildings), said, “We have nine conservation architects in the PWD. We plan to float tenders for the work by January-end and start work by February. Heritage conservation is a challenging task. But we plan to complete it in one year with the department’s team and skilled masons.”
The Government Printing Press building on Mint Street in Chennai, the Governor’s bungalow in Coimbatore and the Rani Mangammal building in Tiruchi are among the structures to be taken up for renovation, apart from those functioning as taluk offices and the Collector’s offices in Cuddalore, Pudukottai, Madurai and Tiruchi districts.
Break-down of funds
Of the total amount, around ₹14 crore has been set apart for the printing press building; ₹10.26 crore for the Governor’s bungalow, also called the Old Forest Office building; and ₹9.4 crore for the Rani Mangammal building.
Old structures housing district munsif and judicial magistrate courts at various places and those functioning as schools and old people co-operative bank in Kanniyakumari district would be covered.
Some of the prominent buildings to be covered include the Kohinoor Sheikh Abdullah bungalow in Kodaikanal of Dindigul district (where former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Sheikh Abdullah was interned between July 1965 and June 1967) at a cost of ₹1.35 crore; Senior Prince’s Quarters on the campus of Thanjavur Palace (₹2.45 crore); and the Collector’s Office in Madurai (₹2.48 crore). About ₹50 crore is expected to be released every financial year for the conservation of the remaining heritage structures in phases, officials said.
