The Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) plans to conduct heritage walks at Fort. St. George once the Army vacates the premises. Talks are already on between the armed forces and the ASI, a source in the ASI told The Hindu .
“A meeting was held between the ASI and the Army recently, and it went off well. Everything clicked,” the source said. According to the official, a joint survey is likely to be conducted by the ASI and the Army and a decision would be arrived at soon after.
The issue will, however, take some time to be resolved as the final decision will come from the headquarters of the two departments.
The official mentioned that a similar exercise was carried out at the Red Fort in Delhi many years ago.
In 2012, the Union government said it would make efforts to get Fort St. George declared as a World Heritage Monument.
While the State Assembly, which functions out of the Fort House, is maintained by the Public Works Department, the Army maintains other buildings, including the King’s Barracks.
The ASI will restore the area occupied by the Army and once the works are complete, it will throw open the premises to the public. Currently, the only areas accessible to civilians are the Fort Museum and heritage buildings not occupied by the Army.
Every year, a walk is usually conducted inside the Fort by heritage enthusiasts during the Madras Week celebrations.
The ASI official also added that none of the heritage buildings suffered any sort of damage from Cyclone Vardah. However, a number of trees on the premises succumbed to nature’s fury. “We took adequate precautions to avoid as much damage as possible. We plan to replace the fallen trees soon in areas that are under the ASI”.
