Demolition on, replica planned

The Hindu A portion of the Mairie demolished on Sunday in Puducherry. Photo: S. S. Kumar

The Puducherry Government on Sunday began the demolition of remnants of the Mairie (Town Hall) building on the beach promenade which caved in under the impact of rains. Officials brought an earthmover and crane and pulled down the remnants of the building.

Official sources said the remnants of the dilapidated structure was unsafe and might cave in at any moment. Chief Minister N. Rangasamy had inspected the site and ordered the demolition in the interests of safety of people passing by on the Beach Road. The demolition would be completed in three days.

The government plans to construct a replica of the original building in its place. A meeting will be convened with INTACH and other agencies to decide on the next course of action, a source in government said. Many other heritage buildings are already in various stages of ageing and have become unsafe. We will be inspecting all these buildings and ascertaining their structural stability, he said.

Meanwhile, Communist Party of India (CPI) has blamed the government for not properly maintaining the building. CPI secretary R. Viswanathan said that though the government had started the renovation last month no steps were taken for strengthening the building and enhancing its lifespan. The government should assess the cause of collapse and initiate stringent action against those who were responsible, he said.

Congress MLA K. Lakshminarayanan said that the government should demolish the structure and build a replica as soon as possible. The government had already spent funds for renovation of the structure in 2000 and 2007. Several other heritage structures including the VOC School, Calve College and the Pensionnat De Jeunes Filles (Government Girls French High School) had become unsafe for human dwellings and should be demolished, he said.

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Demolition on, replica planned