A piece of history lies forlorn amid dust and plastic waste outside the Moore Market Complex suburban railway station located adjacent to the Central station.
The replica of the Moore Market Complex (MMC), which was ravaged by fire in 1985, sits idly in the old car parking yard.
The model was designed in Indo-Saracenic style of architecture by R.E. Ellis and the foundation stone was laid by Sir George Moore, the then president of Madras Municipality, in 1898.
After its irreparable damage in the fire, it was demolished and a new building called ‘Allikulam complex’ was constructed further away from the original site to house the displaced hawkers.
The scaled-down structure of the building that was razed to make way for the MMC suburban railway complex cries for attention. While the model has been fenced with an iron-grill to protect it from any vandalism, it could be safeguarded better by shifting it to another location, said railway officials. The Chennai Corporation that owned the old MMC building could also lend a helping hand by taking it to their renovated headquarters in Ripon Building, the officials added.
Officials in the dark
However, the Corporation officials are unaware of such a replica lying neglected adjacent to its iconic headquarters. In fact, the Corporation had parted with the possession of the property to the Southern Railway after the 1985 fire. A senior railway official said there are plans to make the replica presentable but the modalities on the procedures are yet to be worked out.
