The National Green Tribunal’s (NGT) southern bench in Chennai protects all ecologically sensitive places in the southern States, but the condition of Kalas Mahal, the heritage building housing the bench in Chepauk, is not good, say lawyers practicing at the tribunal.
The building was renovated only in 2017 at a cost of ₹14.5 crore. However, within five years, all that can be spotted in the 254-year-old heritage structure are damp walls, chipping mortar, peeling paint and termite-infested wooden columns on the roof, the advocates complain.
Advocate Chevanan Mohan said, he was shocked to find the Public Works Department (PWD) had erected four iron poles right inside court hall number 1, to support the wooden columns on the roof. “It is highly unsafe for lawyers to be seated inside the court hall,” he said. The lawyer also said the paint had peeled off the walls inside the court hall, particularly near the dais where the judicial member, as well as the expert members, hold sittings on a daily basis. “The condition of their chambers and other parts of the building too, is no different,” he added.
Counsel A. Yogeshwaran said the State government ought to have carried out the renovation work with the assistance of Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage (INTACH) since Kalas Mahal was a heritage structure that required much more detailing than regular civil work.
“If INTACH had been involved, the building could have been renovated akin to the Raja Mannar Hall inside the Madras High Court premises. This failure to do so has led to Kalas Mahal losing its sheen within a short span of five years since the last restoration work,” he lamented.
