| A PLASTIC SURGERY FOR CST
Work Starts On Restoring Beauty Of Station Facade; Conservation Work To Cost Nearly Rs 17 Crore
Bella Jaisinghani | TNN
Mumbai: Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus, Mumbai’s only World Heritage Site and said to be the second-most-photographed structure in India after the Taj Mahal, is set to acquire a more photogenic look. Work on restoring its grand facade started earlier this week as part of the two-phase spruce-up estimated to cost a total of almost Rs 17 crore.
The part of the project - where the facade is being restored - is expected to have the strongest visual impact in the entire exercise, say experts.
To start with, the restoration team - comprising Central Railway experts, architect Chetan Raikar and contractor M S Mistry - is focussing attention on clearing the plants that grow from the cracks in the stone masonry. “We will, simultaneously, repair the external plumbing and clean the artistic gargoyles and statues that are the Indian elements in this Gothic structure,’’ Raikar said.
Next in line for a make-over are the beautiful stained glass windows that shed patches of coloured light onto the interiors on a sunny afternoon.
Contractor Mistry is scouring the list of experts in the field to determine who will suit the job and similar-looking glass panes will be procured from abroad for places where it cannot be repaired. The original glass was created in the United Kingdom during the 1880s, when Victoria Terminus was being constructed, and later shipped to India.
This phase of conservation is estimated to take 10 months but neither the 1,000-odd Central Railway employees working out of the building nor the lakhs of passengers who use the station building every day will be inconvenienced.
“Each facade will be taken up in an orderly sequence,’’ architect Raikar explained.
The first phase of the conservancy work is estimated to cost Rs 7.21 crore. The initial task, completed recently, involved plugging leaks in the terrace and waterproofing the roof that is layered with red Mangalore tiles.
“Not less than 65,000 tiles have been refixed. Nearly all have been reused with a little repair,’’ Central Railway chief public relations officer Shrinivas Mudgerikar told TOI. As a result, for the first time in years, tarpaulin sheets used to protect the structure from rains will become redundant this monsoon.
New treasures are being found every day as workers remove the cobwebs, say officials.
“One part of the viewing gallery that overlooks the star chamber was being used as a storeroom. This portion was cleared,’’ Mudgerikar said.
The “star chamber” is a blue, domed ceiling embedded with an array of stars crafted in 18-karat gold.
“The local booking office is located just below it. But very few people take the time to look upward while they wait in queue for their tickets and they fail to notice the star-lit ceiling,’’ Central Railway spokesperson A K Singh said.
The proposal for the second phase of conservation, estimated to cost Rs 9.60 crore, has been sent to the Railway Board for approval. Later additions made to the main building will be removed during this phase. BEAUTILITY
- CST has always been much more than a beautiful city landmark
- 34 lakh suburban passengers use the station daily.
- 80,000 more passengers use its long-distance platforms.
- 1,308 suburban services start and end at this station daily.
- 68 long-distance trains
originate and terminate at CST daily.
- 18 platforms take all this load;
- 7 are used by suburban and 11 by long-distance trains.
- 1,000 Central Railway staffers work in the main CST building that is being renovated.
- 1.25 lakh square metres is the total area of the CST complex; it includes the main building, the local and long-distance platforms as well as the train yards.
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A BEAUTIFUL HISTORY
A MAMMOTH TASK
Work started on constructing the station building in May 1878 and it was inaugurated exactly 10 years later in May 1888.
THE COST
A precious sum of Rs 16,13,863 went into building Victoria Terminus.
GRAND SCALE
CST is the only World Heritage Site in the city apart from being a grade-I heritage structure. The artistry and thought that went into designing an office building for Central Railway employees way back in 1888 would make Mumbai’s 21st-century office spaces blush. But planners probably wanted the architecture to be as grand as the company’s name; it used to be called the Grand Indian Peninsula Railway (GIPR) in the 1880s and this insignia can still be seen at various spots.
NO CEMENT, NO CONCRETE
No concrete or cement went into the construction of the Victoria Terminus, a stunning monument in stone. Yellow basalt procured from local quarries in Malad became the raw material instead.
THE ARCHITECT
CST symbolises the mixed Gothic and traditional Indian palace architecture that is seen in the BMC headquarters as well as the Western Railway headquarters at Churchgate. All three monuments were designed by British architect Frederick William Stevens, who never once came to India during the construction of the Victoria Terminus; he opted to despatch plans and drawings to his colleagues in India.
THE STAIRCASE
The grand cantilever staircase that runs two storeys high needs no columns to support it because one side is firmly embedded in the wall. Wooden balconies and wrought iron railings make for exquisite detail.
THE ORNAMENTS
One of the highlights is the selection of gargoyles and statues that adorn its walls and columns. The Statue of Progress over the topmost turret is its crowning glory.
STAINED GLASS
Stained glass windows in bright colours, a common feature in contemporary European architecture, were carefully shipped piece-meal from England.
LOOK UP IN WONDER: CST, Mumbai’s only World Heritage Site, was built at a cost of more than Rs 16 lakh
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If things work as planned, the exteriors of the Gothic structure of Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus will be restored by December, this year.
