Kalas Mahal under the hammer again

CHENNAI: Three years of work by specialists with carefully chosen material, and `14.5 crore from the state government’s coffers.  It took this much of effort to restore the 248-year-old Kalas Mahal, a Grade 1 heritage building facing the Marina Beach.

But within hardly a month, a set of masons — who apparently knew nothing much about the nuances of heritage buildings —  were hammering away at the building on Tuesday. They were engaged by the Public Works Department (PWD) to create a new office for former high court judge A Arumughaswamy, the one-man commission constituted by the State government to probe into former CM J Jayalalithaa’s death.

A group of advocates who were visiting the National Green Tribunal, which now functions in the restored building, were shocked to see cement being used to fix holes and frames. It was learned that the workers were engaged to fix new wooden window frames for apparently air-conditioning the space on the first floor of the building, which is being converted into an office for the one-man commission.

The arches in the corridors were being clipped using basic tools. When Express visited the spot, there were no professionals with specialised knowledge regarding heritage buildings. Though Kalas Mahal is not a ASI-protected structure, it has quite some significance since it’s a part of Chepauk Palace, which is the first Indo-Saracenic building of modern India. “Original and historical material must be retained for as long as possible and should not be replaced,” said a city-based conservation architect.

Many advocates criticised the manner in which the works were executed. “How can regular masonry workers execute work at a heritage monument like Kalas Mahal? They have brought loads of cement. Having spent three years to restore the building to its original shape, what is the need to carry out such shoddy work?” said an advocate who didn’t wish to be named.

As per Justice E Padmanabhan Committee report, Grade I structures are prime landmarks upon which no alterations are allowed. The National Policy for Conservation of Ancient Monuments, Archaeological Sites and Remains Act, 2014, permits use of ‘historical material’ like mortar and lime only for restoration or repair work of any centrally-protected monument.

A PWD junior engineer who was present on the spot told Express that the work was only minor in nature, and no structural alterations were made. “We will maintain the building’s authenticity, and no cement will be used. The work will be completed in 15-20 days.” However, by Tuesday evening, workers were seen using cement while conducting their work. When contacted, a senior PWD official said no structural alteration was done. “We had used same old Athangudi tiles for which cement has been used. We are using VRS technology as well as lime plastering.”

Peep into history
1. The Northern block of the Chepauk Palace is known as Kalas Mahal, and its architectural grandeur is reflected in the palatial entrance block located on its eastern side.
2. The architecture and design of the palace represents an amalgam of Islamic design and Indian architectural elements and motifs, and is reflected by cusped arches, domes, spires, tracery, minarets and stained glass. This palatial building was originally constructed over 117 acres, and was surrounded by a wall.
3. The high wall that enclosed the spacious Saracenic structure during palace days has been pulled down to house various government departments.
4. The National Green Tribunal’s southern bench moved into Kalas Mahal on September 2.
5. It was a former residence of the Nawabs of the Carnatic and was designed by British engineer Paul Benfield in 1767.
6. The building was ravaged by a fire in 2012, and three people were killed after portions of the roof caved in on them.