Chennai: Even though the public is taking up measures to conserve heritage structures, often during the Madras Week Celebrations, the state government continues to beat around the bush.
The prominent Tamil Nadu Heritage Commission Act, which has come into ‘force’ in 2012, is just on the papers of the Tamil Nadu government website and serves no purpose.
Reason: Not even a single heritage building is notified under it in the past five years.
Activists cry foul over the non-implementation of the act that resulted in the loss of many architectural and historical structures.
“Heritage conservation committee has not been formed yet. Only a stringent act could conserve 458 architectural and historical structures in Chennai and many more in Tamil Nadu,”warned historian V Sriram.
The act intends to conserve all old outside the purview of Archeological Survey of India act. “If only the act was implemented, freedom fighter Sathyamurthy's house at Thanickachalam Road, which was constructed in 1930, would not have been demolished,” V Sriram noted, while he reiterated on the importance of sensitizing the general public on such structures.Lack of understanding is one prominent reason why heritage structures were damaged in the name of 'renovation.' “Principals of renovation are often not followed. Many structures belonging to the 19th century are getting ruined,” said wildlife conservationist and author, Sundararaj Theodore Baskaran.
Quoting a few examples, Kombai S Anwar, historian, said: “Terracotta figures at the Madurai Meenakshi Amman temple and Srirangam temple were changed. Bathroom tiles were used in many temples and Dargas in Tamil Nadu. The ancient character is thus being lost.”
A brilliant old building was demolished inside the government estate to construct a secretariat, which now is turned into a multispecialty hospital.
These examples take the discussion back to the absence of a stringent act. “Did you know that the first ever cinema house (Electric theatre) in South India stands tall in the compound of Anna Salai Post office. It would be pulled down if not protected,” Baskaran said.
