Ripon misses four deadlines in 3 years

Chennai: Call it the height of bureaucracy and lethargy, two regimes have changed, six years have passed and five IAS officers have served the Ripon Buildings as city corporation commissioner during this period, but the final date for completing the restoration of the historic Ripon Buildings continues to be a mystery to corporation babus.

The restoration of the heritage building, a throw back to Indo-Saracenic architecture, has so far consumed more than Rs 7 crore of public money. The 101-year-old building, which houses the Chennai Mayor's chamber, council hall and the offices of six IAS officers, has missed its restoration deadline at least four times in the last two years and the incumbent officers do not have a completion date in mind.

“The corporation officials have been pickling the restoration for at least three years. The idea of restoration was mooted during the previous DMK regime and the paper work began in 2009, but the project is still hanging in the balance,” said DMK floor leader Subash Chandra Bose.

 “When the secretariat could be restored in a short span, why not Ripon Buildings? The authorities have been citing the excuse that a lot of architectural work was involved in restoration. But three years is too long and the annexe building project is also ready and the inauguration has been delayed for reasons best known to the Mayor and Commissioner” said councillor K. Neelakandan of Mogapair.

“Whenever I want to rake up the issue in the council, I am denied the chance to discuss the issue,” he lamented.

“I am busy for the next few days,” was the official reaction from the office of corporation commissioner Vikram Kapur.

Meanwhile Ripon Building sources admitted that the restoration work was completed on the front and rear sides of the building, but there were some works pending on the second floor, “But we do not have the latest completion deadline,” sources said.