Though construction leading to the tunnelling for Metro rail has commenced near Madras High Court, the design of the proposed station near it has not yet convinced the heritage authorities. The Chennai Metro Rail Limited (CMRL) has so far managed to clear only one of the several objections raised.
The proposed alignment and station comes within 300 meters of the Tomb of David Yale and Joseph Hymners located inside Dr. Ambedkar Law College campus. This tomb is a protected national monument and maintained by the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI). As mandated by the Act, any construction within 100 meters of a national monument is prohibited and those proposed between 100 and 300 meters have to be cleared by the National Monuments Authority, Delhi.
Decision awaited
The officials at the Competent Authority, which regulates construction near centrally protected monuments in Tamil Nadu, said that after reviewing the design of the High Court Station, it has recommended to the National Monuments Authority to treat this project as an exception and provide necessary clearance. The national authority is yet to take a final decision.
The Heritage Conservation Committee constituted by the Chennai Metropolitan Development Authority (CMDA) to review the impact of Metro rail on heritage structures also has not cleared the station design.
A few months ago, unconvinced by the design of the proposed High Court Station, it asked the CMRL to revise the design. Even the modified one submitted is still under review.
“While the idea of taking a part of the metro line underground to preserve the skyline of the city is appreciable, some of the stations so far designed near heritage structures are a cause of concern since they are not adequately sympathetic with the wealth of architecture around,” observed Sujatha Shankar, an architect and member of the Committee.
“In the case of High Court, the proposed station and its allied structures are very close to the heritage buildings. From the drawings it appears that some parts of the station could go beneath the old structures. We have to study this carefully. A deeper study and representation of existing building alignments and character is mandatory for sensibly integrating metro stations with the surrounding,” she added.
Clearance
CMRL officials said that they are waiting for the clearance from the National Monuments Authority, and they would incorporate suggestions made by the Heritage Conservation Committee.
Construction leading to the tunnelling has commenced
Station comes within 300 meters of the Tomb of David Yale and Joseph Hymners
