Months after renovation,CST building gets an algal coat

“The pillar on which the lions are perched is of clay,mortar and stones. This encourages growth of algae and other vegetation in monsoon,” said an officer involved in the restoration.

“Even if we remove vegetation and inject weed-control chemicals,they still will come up in monsoon. The same is the case with the entire structure.”

The CR does not have dedicated fund allocation for maintenance of the CST building,formerly the Victoria Terminus. After it got World Heritage site status,the Ministry of the Railways had allocated Rs 5 crore for restoring the structure externally.

The final stage was the restoration of the main dome and it was completed almost two months ago.

Central Railway officials said there were little funds for upkeep of structure. “We got only Rs 5 crore to restore the building,but what about regular maintenance and daily upkeep? Regular maintenance of the building needs money and dedicated manpower,” said a senior CR official.

The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has a budget of Rs 60 crore for restoration of its buildings.

“Whenever there is a proposal of carrying out restoration of the building,we send it to the Railway Board,Delhi. The money is then allocated looking at priorities and funds are made available,” said Shriniwas Mudgerikar,chief spokesperson,CR.

The building was built over a period of 10 years starting 1877. The railway offices shifted there after the dome was completed in 1888.

According to the Central Railway archives,then known as the Great Indian Peninsula Railway,it was believed to be the first masonry dome adapted for a Gothic building in Mumbai at the time.