Railways gets ASI nod to shift Tipu’s armoury

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The 220-year-old Tipu armoury will be the first structure in the country to be shifted without breaking or altering its structure | EPS
The 220-year-old Tipu armoury will be the first structure in the country to be shifted without breaking or altering its structure | EPS

After three years of persistent efforts, the Railways has obtained the Archaeological Survey of India’s (ASI) clearance to shift Tipu Sultan’s armoury at Srirangapatna to lay the second railway line under Bangalore-Mysore Doubling Project.

South Western Railways chief administrative officer Adesh Sharma said, “Now, we have obtained all the clearances required to shift the armoury.”

“As none of such structures have been shifted till now in the country, we may have to search for a company which has partnership with foreign construction companies to shift the structures without breaking them. We may invite tenders to shift the armoury very soon,” he said.

Relocation to Pre-identified Site

The 800-tonne armoury will be lifted without disturbing its structure using jacks and it will be shifted to an pre-identified site that is around 150 metres away from its present location using some advanced machines.

Tipu’s armoury is a protected monument under The Karnataka Ancient and Historical Monuments and Archaeological Sites and Remains Act 1961.

The state’s Department of Archeology cleared the shifting of the monument nearly three years ago after the Railways found it impossible to change the alignment of the new line.

As it is located within 300 metres of Lord Ranganath  Temple at Srirangapatna, a national monument, and is protected under The Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Sites and Remains Act 1958, the Railways had to obtain a clearance for shifting it from the Archaeological Survey of India.

At the behest of the Railways and the state government, the Institution of Engineers had suggested three methods of shifting the monument to retain its originality. They are—demolishing the monument and replicating it with the same material, cutting the monument into huge blocks and replicating it by pasting the blocks with the special glue and shifting the monument as it is.

The Railways and the state government had agreed to shift the monument as it is after obtaining the necessary clearances.

source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> Cities> Bangalore / by  N R Madhusudhan – Banglaore / May 14th, 2013

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