Rash demolition damages world heritage CST

The neogothic Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus building with its Victorian gargoyles limestone walls finelycarved entrances expressive sculptures and towering pillars is a matter of pride for the railway authorities that inherited it as their HQ But their heedlessness of this aweinspiring world heritage has left it maimed by mistake Razing history Slipshod demolition activity at a toilet block at the back of the heritage complex has reduced portions of its priceless legacy to debris Legacy in a shambles Lionfaced gargoyles pilasters sculpted like chess pieces finials and other ornamental parts of this edifice which recently celebrated 125 years are now reduced to a pile of debris lying sullenly in a corner in the back of the building where a toilet block once was Sources in Central Railway CR said the block juxtaposed to the buildingrsquos back close to the section for longdistance trains was demolished as it wasnrsquot part of the heritage site But the sledgehammer move accidentally pulled down the pieces of heritage Thousands of commuters entering from the GPO side can see the destroyed portions of the building Officials concede it is possible that workers demolishing the toilet might have accidentally damaged these portions of the heritage building ldquoWe will be soon restoring it although there is no particular deadline for thisrdquo said a CR official ldquoWe will look into the matter and see what action can be taken to restore these portions The matter hasnrsquot been brought to our notice yetrdquo said CRrsquos chief public relations officer Atul Rane More than a year back a canteen adjoining the heritage site was gutted in a blaze exposing how vulnerable the 1888built CSTrsquos splendour was Soon after CR authorities decided to demolish unwanted structures that were too close to the heritage building The weakening toilet block was one among them Now a temporary pathway on CSTrsquos first floor towards the demolished toilet block is in the process of being torn down CR alone knows what the accidental detriment from that would be Experts say Conservation architects and historians across the city say construction labourers demolishing the toilet block might not have been careful to avoid damage to these gargoyles and finials ldquoThere is a need for carefully removing these elements that form part of the heritage structure It can be restored but it will be a painstaking processrdquo said a historian and architect adding ldquoThere is a certain process that needs to be followed during restorationrdquo ldquoWe will have to make a site visit and inspect the damage We will have to gauge to what extent the heritage site has been affected and how it can be restoredrdquo said V Ranganathan chief of Mumbai Heritage Conservation Committee ldquoThey were demolishing relatively new construction and that is not wrong But the unfortunate part is that people were not careful CSTrsquos integral structures should not have been pulled apart It is possible that the demolition workers were ignorant or that the damage was accidental Now the damage needs to be fixed with the use of chemicals and stainless steelrdquo said conservation architect Vikas Dilawari Illthought plans Not so long ago this paper had reported how the railwaysrsquo plans to turn the heritage structure into a worldclass station ran aground thanks its own myopia lsquoHeight barrier gets in way of CST makeoverrsquo July 15 The railways had proposed a skyscraper a threestar hotel lodging facilities for passengers a 20storey shopping and commercial complex and eight buildings on the P Drsquomello side of the CST complex near Wadi Bunder But a heritage impact assessment study said that all these needed to be cut to size since UNESCO guidelines stipulate that no high rise can block a full view of heritage sites ldquoThe height of the buildings proposed to be developed around the CST heritage area should be restricted at 24 metres as prescribed by the UNESCOrdquo conservation architect Abha Narain Lambah who made the study had told MiD DAY The study came after the International Council on Monuments and Sites ICOMOS advisory body to the UNESCO World Heritage Committee mdash asked the railways to do the assessment In other words no structure can overshadow the dome of CST building This effectively curtails all plans involving a skyscraper or commercial centre and allows no more than about seven storeys for any building that may come upu00a0u00a0 About CST The Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus CST formerly known as Victoria Terminus Station is an outstanding example of Victorian Gothic Revival architecture in India The building designed by the British architect F W Stevens became the symbol of Bombay as the lsquoGothic Cityrsquo which was the major international mercantile port in India The terminal was built over 10 years starting in 1878 according to a High Victorian Gothic design based on late medieval Italian models It is an outstanding example of the meeting of two cultures as British architects worked with Indian craftsmen to include Indian architectural tradition and idioms thus forging a new style unique to the city What is a gargoyle In architecture a gargoyle is a carved stone grotesque usually made of granite with a spout designed to convey water from a roof and away from the side of a building thereby preventing rainwater from running down masonry walls and eroding the mortar between The term originates from the French gargouille which in English is likely to mean ldquothroatrdquo or is otherwise known as the ldquogulletrdquo