Mumbai: Fight for museum at CSMT is hurting railway station, literally

Railway employees protest in the courtyard of CSMT

The fight over whether or not to have a museum at the UNESCO-listed World Heritage building of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus (CSMT) is killing the iconic structure itself, literally. In what can be termed as the first major damage to it in recent years, a pillar and decorative works on the main south facade of the building broke and collapsed a day after railway employees staged a protest in the courtyard. They are against the proposal to convert the building into a world-class transport museum.

While railway officials said the trade unions had tied cloth banners to the pillar in question and put up loudspeakers on it, which can be seen in numerous photographs of the protest that have been circulated, the union that organised the protest - Central Railway Mazdoor Sangh (CRMS) - said yesterday it's not responsible for the damage.

Also read: Railways Ministry's plan to turn CSMT into museum chugs into controversy

The damaged facade

CRMS vice president Amit Bhatnagar said, "It is a strong building that has weathered generations of railwaymen; how can small things like tying banners and speakers damage it? We respect our place of work, and this is some conspiracy to show us in bad light. I completely refute this allegation by railway officials that the damage happened because of the rally. This needs deeper investigation."

The gaping hole
The damage was found early last morning during the routine clean-up. A large two-foot portion of the decorative pillar entangled with the nylon rope was found broken on the floor with the main pillar's top sliced up. Railway officials who inspected the damage said the protesting trade union had put up flags, banners and a huge loudspeaker on the facade. A makeshift stage had been set up exactly where the damage has been found.

The pillar in question had a large loudspeaker tied to it, and it was probably during its removal later that the damage was done. "We have conducted a basic assessment of the damage and will take it up for repair soon. Phase II of the building's conservation is on; we'll see what can be done to fix this," an official said. Central Railway Mumbai's Divisional Railway Manager S K Jain, who is the custodian of the heritage building, said he would look into the matter. "I will get this examined [to find out] what exactly happened."

Architects appalled
Conservation architect Vikas Dilawari, who has been associated with CSMT restoration for a very long time, expressed shock and said it was heartbreaking to see the front façade damaged. "This is totally unacceptable. Its repair will always remind us of what happened here. It is a very sad episode," he lamented.

The damaged pillar and its chunk found on the floor yesterday

Another conservation architect, Rahul Chemburkar, said, "This is more than sheer negligence. It shows how we, as a society, are becoming insensitive towards our cultural heritage. Our notions of aesthetics and culture have become shallow. We take pride in abusing our own cultural identities. Such deeds should be treated as punishable offences."

Rise of an icon
The iconic building, designed by Fredrick William Stevens, which became the head office of the Great Indian Peninsula Railway between 1878 and 1888, entered UNESCO's World Heritage list in 2004 and is one of the 36 World Heritage sites in India. The main structure is built from a blend of Indian sandstone and limestone, while high-quality Italian marble has been used for key decorative elements.

Also read - CR employees: Won't let CSMT be turned into museum

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