The Chennai Corporation will create a system to facilitate ‘periodic maintenance’ of heritage buildings that have been restored. The system is likely to cover aspects that are normally overlooked by the Heritage Conservation Committee in the process of conserving heritage buildings in the city.
At the first training session on conservation of heritage, held by the Indian National Trust For Art and Cultural Heritage (INTACH), for Corporation engineers on Monday, the civic body proposed a new regulatory framework to prevent any future damage to buildings such as Ripon Buildings and Victoria Public Hall, caused after completion of restoration work.
“Participants pointed to the lack of maintenance of heritage buildings. There is a need for a system to monitor minor works with the potential to cause major damage to a heritage structure,” said an official.
Citing the conditions at Ripon Buildings, where unplanned facilities such as toilets and air conditioning led to severe damage to the structure, the official said water proofing work, with German technical assistance, on all the corridors had reversed the damage. “Over 90 percent of Ripon Buildings has been restored. Officials have to be watchful. If the water proofing work gets damaged by other civil works in future, the building will deteriorate again,” said the official.
Over 70 engineers from the Corporation participated in the training session. Outlining key aspects of major conservation initiatives such as the one for Taj Mahal, conservation architect Navin Piplani stressed the need for learning about heritage conservation.
The three-day training session is expected to change the way engineers react to challenges to conservation of heritage structures.
