Brakes on at Bandra…….Simit Bhagat
Restoration of the 19th-Century, Heritage Railway Station remains incomplete
Restoration of the 19th-Century, Heritage Railway Station remains incomplete
MUMBAI: The second phase of the restoration of Bandra railway station, a Grade-1 heritage site, has been stuck due to red tape and a lack of funds for over a year-and-a-half. Heritage experts said that while the first phase was completed successfully, the crucial second phase hasn’t gone ahead.
Abha Narain Lambah, who was appointed as consultant for the restoration of the railway station, said, “If we are seriously looking at restoring the station building, then a lot of work remains to be done. We should not make half-hearted attempts towards the job.”
Around one year ago, Lambah had requested the Western Railway (WR) administration to disburse additional funds to the tune of Rs 1.5 crore to carry out the next phase and refurbish the entire station building.
“We started the first phase with a miniscule budget of Rs 40 lakh. After its completion around May 2009, I am still waiting to hear from the railway administration about the completion of the remaining work,” said Lambah.
At one time, the 19{+t}{+h}-century heritage building had been completely neglected. However, during the first phase of the restoration, the railways attempted to undo some of the damage done earlier. In 1998, the railways had been criticized for replacing the red roof tiles over the platforms with ugly asbestos sheets as a solution against leaking.
In fact, in the first phase of the project completed in 2009, the makeshift wooden partition that had been created in the verandah to accommodate booking offices was removed. “Also, many of the walls of the original basalt stone structure were covered with cement and coats of paint were applied to it. We removed the plaster and exposed the original walls to help regain the lost glory,” said Lambah.
The structure was also treated with lime mortar and the roof was recreated with red tiles to give the building an original look. The first phase of the project had cost the railways around Rs 40 lakh.
Heritage experts state that the idea of going ahead with the next phase was to give the station and the platforms a uniform look. Currently, even the flooring is mismatched, because there has not been much thought put into the different types of tiles being used. “We have even planned to redesign the food stalls, fruit juice vendors, platforms and also spruce up the beautiful cast-iron columns. Also, we have to give anti-termite treatment and do electrical upgradation, like taking care of the cables and wires that are at present just hanging,” said Lambah.
Sharat Chandrayan, chief public relations officer, WR, said, “The proposal for the second phase has not yet been sent to the railway board in New Delhi for sanction. However, we will soon send it for their approval.”