Heritage: Restoration work on Sardar Griha building where he died will begin in January Almost 90 years after Lokmanya Bal Gangadhar Tilak breathed his last inside the Sardar Griha building on L T Marg in South Mumbai,the dilapidated heritage structure is set to get a new lease of life. Thanks to the Bombay High Court which had taken serious note of the case,restoration work is scheduled to begin on January 15 and is slated to be completed within a year. An ugly ownership dispute among the tenants had the fate of the dilapidated heritage structure hanging in balance for years. Earlier this month,Justice S C Dharmadhikari restrained the tenants from obstructing the repair works and directed that all efforts be made to preserve the building. A joint inspection was carried out on December 29 by a team comprising chief engineers of the Maharashtra Housing and Area Development Authority (MHADA) and the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC),the court receivers representative,architect and structural engineer appointed by MHADA along with representatives of the tenants as well as Roopam Fashion Private Ltd. The inspection has revealed that restoration work is needed for passages on both the LT Marg and Lohar Chawl side and repairs to the roof of the building. Other repairs include replacement of room flooring of tenements wherever required and treatment of leakages wherever necessary. All these repairs have been earmarked in the building plan prepared by MHADA and will be submitted to the court receiver and to the parties concerned. Since its a Grade III heritage structure,MHADA will submit the drawing on the repairs to be carried out to the BMCs heritage conservation committee. The Chief Engineer of the repair board has directed the contractor appointed by MHADA to take steps for carrying out the repair work from January 7. As per schedule,it is to be over by January 15,2011, said counsel for MHADA,G W Mattos. Justice Dharmadhikari has made it clear that the engineer will have to finish the work within the time frame. He observed that for the sake of posterity,the building should be preserved taking into consideration that Tilak had breathed his last there. Tilak in Sardar Griha* Sardar Griha was originally a hotel,with Tilak a frequent patron * He spent his last days in the rooms given to him by the owner. * On July 29,1920,Gandhi visited Tilak at about 6 pm,returning after midnight on hearing of his death * Huge crowds gathered around Sardar Grihathe photograph is still displayed in the Tilak Smarak Trust office on the fourth floor to pay their last respects on August 1,1920.
