THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The long-pending project to conserve the architectural heritage of Victoria Jubilee Town (VJT) Hall (renamed as Mahatma Ayyankali Hall in 2019) continues to drag on, leaving the colonial structure in a sorry state. The condition of the structure, one of the oldest buildings in the capital, is deteriorating with each passing day owing to lack of conservation activities. The tiled roof, ceiling, wooden flooring and other historical features of the structure are in a state of ruin, leading to the degradation of the monument, which has witnessed many historical events in the past.
It has been three years since the architectural wing under the PWD placed a proposal to conserve the VJT Hall but the project is yet to take off. Apart from rechristening VJT Hall after social reformer Ayyankali, the state government has done nothing to conserve the rich heritage of the monument, which is a rare remnant of the colonial era. Built in 1896, the VJT Hall was constructed to commemorate the golden jubilee of the coronation of Queen Victoria and was the first Legislative Assembly Hall of Travancore.
“It is disheartening to see the present condition of the hall, which is part of our rich heritage and history. They are renting out the hall almost every day and they can use the fund to maintain the upkeep of the structure. The organisers of the events, being held at the hall, are covering up the blight using decorations. The wooden floor right in front of the stage is in ruins owing to the regular hammering of nails used to lay the red carpet while holding events. The monument is slowly losing its heritage fabric,” said social activist and actor Sajitha Madathil.
“There needs to be a system to monitor and ensure the regular conservation and state of heritage structures in the capital. The hall should be immediately renovated, and proper guidelines regarding the usage of the hall issued,” she added.
According to an official source, the General Administrative Department (GAD) is yet to grant funds for the conservation project which aims at maintaining the architectural heritage, preservation, restoration of historic materials and modification.
“We have submitted the project with revised estimates, and the government has agreed to grant `10 crore. Earlier the proposed estimate was `7 crore, but the project suffered cost escalation owing to the delay. The government had attempted to rope in a private agency to execute the project. But it didn’t work out, and they handed over the project back to us,” said a senior PWD official.
The plan is to complete the project within a year. “As per our proposal, the project would be implemented in three phases. Waterproofing needs to be done and damaged roof tiles need to be replaced. We are planning to give a new false ceiling for the hall and make it air-conditioned,” said the official. As part of the project, the conventional stage settings will be renovated with better lightings and permanent audio-visual components. In addition to this, the PWD is planning to refurbish the yard with landscaping, temporary pavilions, parking area and renovate the compound wall and gate.
The lack of rules and regulations to conserve non-protected heritage building is one of the main reasons for the neglect being faced by heritage structures in the capital. The State Town and Country Planning Department has identified around 190 heritage structures, a majority of them non-protected by the Archaeological Survey of India. An official of the Archaeology Department said they have no role in conservation of heritage structures undeclared by the Archaeological Survey of India.
Conservation architect N Ramaswamy said that all these heritage structures are part of Kerala’s rich history and regular conservation measures are the key to protecting them for future generations. “A majority of these are public buildings, and PWD is undertaking the routine maintenance. I feel there should be a heritage wing under the PWD to take care of heritage buildings. The PWD should be strengthened for conserving the structures and the officials require enough knowledge regarding conservation,” said Ramaswamy. He said that the government should set precedence by protecting the heritage structures so that private parties will also do so.
“Appropriate maintenance at the right time is key to conserving these structures. There should be scientific knowledge to protect such structures as the same material needs to be used for renovation else the condition of the structure would worsen further. There need to be prioritised funds for conservation as the value of these buildings is much more than what we are going to spend. We need to protect these buildings for the generations to come,” said Ramaswamy.
‘Rules and regulations soon’
An official of the State Town and Country Planning Department said that there are no rules and regulations, at present, to ensure the upkeep of the heritage structures in the state. “We have drawn up a draft regulation to ensure the conservation of the heritage structures in the state. As part of the effort, we have initiated steps to list out heritage buildings and structures in the state. We have published the list of heritage structures in Thiruvananthapuram and Wayanad districts,” said an official of the State Town and Country Planning Department.
The official said that the department is unable to control the violations and destructions happening to heritage monuments. “We have prepared the draft guidelines and are in the process of finalising them. By next year, the new rules will come into effect. We will be grading the heritage structures based on their condition and age,” said the official. The official said strict regulations are there in declared heritage zones like the Fort area. “We have included the Fort area in the heritage zone, and it is part of the master plan,” the official added.
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