BENGALURU: The recent demolition of the ancient arches between Platform One and Platform Two of Bengaluru Cantonment station by the Railways has shocked and upset heritage conservationists and railway enthusiasts.
They insist that modern technology could be deployed to preserve and retain it somehow while the Railways state that the dilapidated structure was a risk to the lives of passengers and had to be done away with.
The iconic station, the first railway station in Karnataka to operate trains, is being redeveloped as a world-class structure at a cost of Rs 480 crore. Ironically, an official release from the South Western Railway (SWR) Zone released last year in connection with the work stressed that the heritage structure of the station would be preserved.
As of now, 20 of the masonry arches, which are over a century old and located on the tracks between PF1 and PF2, have been razed. The active heritage preservation community in the city is demanding answers from the Railways and questioning why there was no consultation before the destruction of these invaluable structures.
Prabha Dev, a member of Heritage Beku, a citizen-led initiative, is keen to know who gave Railways permission in such matters. Dev asked TNIE, "How come contractors and their architects are unaware of the heritage value of what they demolished? The new structure should have incorporated the heritage arches. Do we lack imagination in the new urban development projects?"
Founder of the initiative Priya Chetty-Rajagopal bills the demolition as "a crying shame." Heritage is just not a priority in Bengaluru and there has been no consultation done, she said. "There existed a Bengaluru Urban Arts Commission under the Bangalore Development Authority which has been disbanded. Which is the authority whose guidance needs to be sought in the case of such issues? In Mumbai, the local corporation has been vested with the authority and the city's heritage is well taken care of. In Bengaluru, structures fall under the purview of both the BDA and the BBMP but there is just no clarity on who is the deciding authority."
T R Raghunandan, a member of the National Rail Enthusiasts Society, bills the removal of the arches as "a disaster and a completely thoughtless action by officials for whom heritage preservation is just not a priority." A resident of the Cantonment area since 1976, this steam engine enthusiast recalls the ancient charm the station possesses. The station used to have a steam shed and a turntable to turn engines around, but these are long gone.
"These arches are beautiful structures and are a defining aspect of the station. It gives the feel of a tunnel there. I agree that Cantonment is emerging as an important hub and needs to be developed but experts need to be consulted to preserve the heritage of this beautiful station," he said.
Citing the example of London, which deeply values its heritage, Raghunandan said, "The demolition of the St Pancras railway station, which dates back to the Victorian era, was halted due to public protests. Instead, an ultramodern second deck was created within the station to operate the Eurostar trains, while preserving the old heritage structure. The same could have been done here too."
A source at the Constructions Division of SWR told TNIE, "We are merely executing the work for the Bengaluru Railway Division. We were asked to demolish it and have done it. The wall runs to a height of nearly 60 metres with the arches in a sequence as extensions above it. These old arches were in a dilapidated condition and were weak."
Bengaluru Divisional Railway Manager, Yogesh Mohan, told TNIE, "The arches were in a dilapidated condition and could have collapsed on passengers at any time."We cannot preserve heritage at the cost of passenger safety. They have been removed only as a safety step. We have done the best we could in the interest of the public."