New porch of DRM office will be identical to original: LMRC MD
LUCKNOW : The porch of the divisional railway manager’s (DRM) office in Hazratganj, which was demolished by the LMRC for metro construction work in the stretch, is likely to be reconstructed by January 31, said officials. Lucknow Metro Railway Corporation officials said the new porch would come up at the same place and would be identical to the original one.
“The construction of the porch will start soon after metro construction work in the area is over. The design is ready and the work is expected to take off by next week. We will ensure that the new porch is identical to the old one,” said Kumar Keshav, managing director, LMRC.
To recall, the demolition of the porch had resulted in strong condemnation from heritage lovers, who said that the city’s rich architecture could not be brought down to pave way for new establishments. They had claimed that masterpieces like that could not be reconstructed. Some had also called it an “irreversible damage to the city’s cultural heritage”.
Objections persisted despite LMRC and DRM officials claiming that the porch was in a dilapidated condition and was demolished for metro construction after acquiring permission from the railways and the Commissioner Railway Safety (CRS). The DRM NR also said that the reconstruction of the porch would restore the building’s lost glory.
Officials said that other than the porch, the LMRC would also reconstruct the boundary wall and other establishments on the office premises. “Other than the porch, the LMRC will reconstruct the two entrance gates leading to the main building of the office, the inner road that it is currently being used for construction work, and some establishments on the back side of the office complex,” said a senior official with the DRM office.
Throwing light on the history of the office building, he informed that the structure had earlier served as the headquarters of the Oudh and Rohilkhand Railways, which was said to have been formed in 1872 and headquartered in the present day Lucknow. “All operations on the railway lines between Lucknow and Hardoi, Barabanki and Moradabad were managed from here,” he said.