The Railway Ministry’s plan to convert the 130-year-old Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus (CSMT) building into a museum has run into controversy with architects and rail employees raising objections over the move.
While architects say it is “impractical” to turn the the administrative headquarters of the Central Railway into a museum, railway unions claim relocating the headquarters will cause inconvenience to employees.
Railway Minister Piyush Goyal, during his visit to Mumbai in November last year, had announced that CSMT would be converted into a “world-class museum”. On Wednesday, railway authorities invited expression of interest (EoI) to develop the museum and formed an advisory board to execute the plan.
As per the directions of the Railway Board’s under secretary (Establishment), the advisory board will comprise the general manager of the Central Railway and five members, who will “conceptualise, finalise and recommend” the plan for the museum.
‘A difficult task’
Conservation architect Vikas Dilawari expressed reservations over the project. He said, “A museum requires many things like a narrative, a storyline. It also requires a curatorial team for the display of collection. The CSMT is roughly as huge as the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Vastu Sangrahalaya (CSMVS). So it’s not so easy to convert it into a museum. The CSMT was designed for a different purpose.”
CSMT, formerly Victoria Terminus, was designed in 1877 in the Indo-Saracenic style of architecture by British architect Frederick William Stevens, who worked for the British colonial government in India. The structure, which took 10 years to be built, was listed as a World Heritage structure in 2005. The building, which already houses a small museum, is the originating and terminating station for hundreds of express and suburban trains and sees a daily passenger traffic of around 30 lakh.
Another noted city-based architect said the plan faced practical hindrances and challenges. He said, “Museums are created in the buildings that have outlived their original usefulness, like the Orsay Museum in Paris. The CSMT is a fully functional building and was integrally designed to be a train station.”
He said only the lower floor of the building, which is a bit redundant, could be converted into a museum and the offices functioning there could be relocated. He said, “The plan will hit practical roadblocks too. Do you think that an old engine can be placed on the first floor to be showcased as an artefact? Where is the space to lay the tracks? A rail museum would be incomplete without them.”
Railway employees are also up in arms against the proposal. Central Railway Mazdoor Sangh (CRMS), a recognised rail union, had recently held a protest against the move at the headquarters and vowed to continue the agitation till the ministry withdraws its plan.
Pravin Bajpai, general secretary of CRMS, said, “This building is a matter of pride not just for the CR, but for the Indian Railways and the country. Mr. Goyal’s plan to convert it into a museum would damage its grandeur. Employees will suffer as they have to move out from here. We will oppose the plan at any cost.”
The railway administration, however, says that once the museum is complete, it would be even more remarkable. A top CR official said, “The railway department had done proper homework before the announcement was made. So they should wait and watch. Once done, it will be even more monumental.”
