Kolkata's Historical Town Hall Building To Be Made Earthquake-Proof
The West Bengal government has decided to strengthen the Tuscan pillars of the historical Town Hall building in Kolkata and make it earthquake-proof, say officials. This will be part of the building's restoration project.
The decision of strengthening the 204-year-old building was taken on the basis of the advice given by experts from Indian Institute of Technology-Roorkee after the city witnessed a series of mild tremors in the last couple of years, a senior official at the Public Works Department (PWD) said.
The PWD would put fibre-reinforced concrete around the giant six Tuscan pillars, as a part of the strengthening process, as advised by the IIT experts.
The Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) will complete the entire process within 18 months.
The civic authority has dismantled the museum, the Kolkata Panorama, in the Town Hall. Popularly known as India's first hi-tech story-telling museum, it used to depict the evolution of the city.
There is a plan to change the entire lighting of the building, too, the officer said.
The Town Hall, designed by architect-engineer Major General John Garstin, was paid for by public lottery. There were problems of flooding and subsidence in the building even after its inauguration in the early 19th century. In 1867, the Town Hall came under the custody of the Calcutta Municipality, now known as the Kolkata Municipal Corporation.
It was partly renovated in 1897.
The two-storied building was earlier used for public meetings, receptions, balls, and concerts.
With inputs from Housing News