Heritage Watch

After a brief hiatus of a year or so, it appears that the heritage skyline facing the Marina is once again under threat. An entire new wing of the Lady Willingdon Institute is under construction, stretching west and east and it blocks off a part of the view of the older structure. It makes us wonder what the High Court of Madras, which under Justice Elipe Dharma Rao ruled that the earlier judgement of the same court ordering the protection of heritage buildings only pertained to their facades, would make of this.

There is an unidentifiable monstrosity of some kind coming up just opposite the University Examination Hall. We sincerely hope it is not a public convenience – there are plenty of these that are now available in the sunken road just beyond.

Lastly, at the DGP building, it would appear that the promise to build in a sympathetic style has been misunderstood. With an almost misplaced zeal, the colonnaded façade is being extended till it covers other gracious structures on the campus.