One of the most iconic heritage sites in the Nilgiris, the St. Stephen’s Church in Udhagamandalam, could be at risk from irreversible structural damage due to ongoing highway expansion work, church officials fear.
Officials from the church told The Hindu that the building, dedicated in 1831, and famous for its Gothic architecture and stained-glass windows, could become unstable due to the expansion of the Mettupalayam-Udhagamandalam-Gudalur highway.
An official explained that the State Highways Department, which has been tasked with the road expansion work, had cut into the slope at an extremely steep angle along the cliff on which the church stands on.
“As the revetment they will construct will be nowhere near the full height of the vertical slope, we fear that the building could become unstable, develop cracks, and even get irreparably damaged,” said an official from the church.
There is fear among church officials and members of the congregation visiting the iconic building that the destabilised slope could be susceptible to landslips during the monsoon season.
The officials said that the State Highways Department “threatened” to demolish the iconic arch of the church, but were convinced to leave the building alone as it was a heritage structure. However, an old stairway almost as old as the church itself, leading from the road to the parsonage, has already been demolished using earth diggers.
Church officials approached the Nilgiris District Collector, J. Innocent Divya, urging her to ensure the “protection of the historical church” on Thursday.