The Hindu : Tamil Nadu / Chennai News : Heritage sites set to regain lost sheen

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Monday, Jun 20, 2005

Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu - Chennai

Heritage sites set to regain lost sheen

T. Ramakrishnan

— Photo: S.R.Raghunathan

WAITING FOR FUNDS: A view of the old National Art Gallery building on the Government Museum campus.

CHENNAI: Nearly a hundred heritage sites in the State, languishing for years, look set to regain their lost sheen, thanks to a Rs. 40 crores cash injection for their renovation.

With the 12th Finance Commission recommending the sanction of the amount, over four years, the Union Government will provide the money as grant to the State Government, which, in turn, will make allocations for conservation of the heritage buildings. The funds are also meant for upgrading museums, says a government official.

Headed by the Chief Secretary, an Empowered Committee will be constituted for fast-tracking the projects. The Finance Commission kept the ongoing 2005-06 as a `dry year' so that the State Government could complete the spadework this year and begin the renovations next year.

"Tamil Nadu was given Rs. 10 crores by the previous Finance Commission. It was with this money that we took up renovation of a few galleries, including the Bronze Gallery, at the Chennai Government Museum and the Thirumalai Nayak Mahal at Madurai," says the official.

Of the nearly 100 heritage monuments under the State Government, 90 are under the maintenance of the Archaeology department, with the rest looked after by the Museums department.

One heritage building crying for attention is the old National Art Gallery building at the Chennai Government Museum campus, a pink-coloured structure built in the "Jaina-Jaipuri" style. Chief Minister Jayalalithaa had stressed the importance of renovating the historic building two years ago, during the post-centenary golden jubilee celebrations.

Considered to be one of Chennai's landmarks, the 99-year-old structure housed the National Art Gallery from 1951.

It was a treasure house of paintings of the Tanjore, Rajput, Moghul, Kangra and Deccan schools till 2003, when the Public Works Department declared the building unsafe. Now it remains closed, with the exhibits being shifted to another block.

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