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A Makeover at the Cost of Heritage Loss: Heritage Railway Stations to Witness Transformations

A total of 30 heritage railway stations are changing under the ‘Amrit Bharat Scheme’, paving the way for modern amenities for passengers. However, heritage conservationists question the loss it might cause.

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Molshree
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The Howrah Railway Station, Kolkata

The ever-charming Victoria Terminus, now Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus, in Mumbai, is covered with bamboo fencing, partially enveloping the entire façade of this architectural marvel. A worker standing atop the façade is working to fix something while the ‘work in progress’ boards encircle one side. According to the government’s plans, this historical Indo-Gothic structure, which boasts Victorian Gothic architecture blended with Indian traditional elements, is soon going to undergo a makeover that is likely to merge the heritage features of the station with modern glasswork, specifically an airport-like design.

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The CSMT is undergoing redevelopment.

Just like CSMT, many other heritage railway stations across India are undergoing a revamp under the Amrit Bharat Scheme, all of which are currently facing the threat of losing their heritage nature. Under the scheme, a total of 553 railway stations are set to be reconstructed, as the plan was rolled out earlier last year. As per the scheme, whose foundation stone was laid by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, it is valued at over Rs 41,000 crore. In an announcement over X, Prime Minister Modi said: "Today is a historic day for our Railways. 2000 railway infrastructure projects worth over Rs. 41,000 crores will be dedicated to the nation. In order to enhance the travel experience, 553 stations will be redeveloped under the Amrit Bharat Station Scheme. The foundation stones for these stations would be laid. Overbridges and underpasses across India will also be inaugurated. These works will further 'Ease of Living' for the people.”

In Maharashtra alone, 126 stations have made it to the list. Other heritage railway stations include the colonial Howrah station in Kolkata, stations in Lucknow, Gwalior, Kharagpur, and many more, along with the Indo-Saracenic Egmore railway station and those in Berhampur and Ooty (now Udhagamandalam).

As per the plan, Secunderabad station, a 150-year-old structure with a budget of Rs. 700 crore, will be dismantled piece by piece to be replaced with a concrete, glass, and woven fibreglass structure. The CSMT station in Mumbai, which serves as an important landmark for both tourists and locals alike, will undergo a Rs. 2,450-crore makeover to create an airport-like design, paving the way for multi-level car parking, 100 lifts, 75 escalators, and 10 travelators.

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A worker at CSMT's facade.

An oral historian from Hyderabad calls the move “problematic”. “It is problematic to change the nature of the structure under all circumstances,” Yunus Lasania, the founder of the Hyderabad History Project, says. The 35-year-old, who has been advocating for the conservation of heritage and conducts heritage walks in the city, also states that these structures contain heritage value which should not be tampered with. For instance, he adds, “The Taj Mahal might have undergone changes from when it was built; however, no modifications have changed the authentic value. Similarly, heritage structures represent the old times, which is important.”

Unawareness and resentment;  common among locals

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Howrah railway station (left), Howrah bridge (front). Image Courtesy: Tiyasa Das

While the construction activities go on for the CSMT in Mumbai, there are locals and domestic tourists who are busy clicking pictures with this architecture, as we wandered around the area recently. They pose differently under the soothing winter sun of the city, with the CSMT as their backdrop to get the best shot of the building. On asked whether they know such a heritage might be transformed with modern looks, they deny it in solidarity. 

Can such enthusiasm to explore these heritage marvels see a change after the heritage nature of these is tweaked in any capacity? The Kannur-based heritage consultant, Muhammed Shihad, answers in favour. “It will certainly change the preferences of people who have a deep interest in history if the heritage nature is tampered with while the ‘tourists checking off the travel itinerary’ might still visit,” the 35-year-founder of Kannur City Heritage Foundation who left his job in Delhi to create awareness about Kannur heritage structures, says. The redevelopment of 15 railway stations in Kerala is part of the scheme, of which Kannur is also one of them. 

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A group of tourists at the Kannur fort, hosted by Md. Shihad's team.

Showing dismay over how the Kannur fort, with its plastered makeover in 2001, had disturbed him when he was a teenager, Shihad also narrated the forgotten tale of corruption in 2015 under a plan which was going to put a “lights and the sound show” in the Kannur Fort. “The spaces for the seating and control room were all designated, but it never was implemented after the inauguration,” he laments, adding his hesitations towards the reconstruction of heritage activities. He also states that the government is acting as per its “priorities” when it comes to working towards the revival of the heritage structures, citing the example of how the Kerala government, which was about to refurbish a 2-acre royal family’s property in Kannur in 2021 has not been able to complete the same while other projects are underway. “The funds' allocation is the reason. They have priorities,” he, whose team also conducts heritage walks in Kochi and Wayanad, Kasargod, adds. 

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Howrah railway station (main facade), a labour working for the modifications (right). Image Courtesy: Tiyasa Das

Meanwhile, up north, in West Bengal, two of the heritage railway stations of Howrah and Kharagpur are also under construction, along with the thirty-seven railway stations in the plans for a makeover. Speaking to the locals about the reconstructions at the Howrah station in Kolkata highlighted the fact that not just locals but even the railway staff present at the station were not aware of the reason behind the construction and what it might bring for them. As per a source, neither did the ticket checker, present at the 5th number platform of the station, knew of the scheme, nor did the railway guards at the ticket booking centre nor the other railway staff present at the moment. They mentioned that the construction activities take place, but “there is no information for what it is for or what it entails”.

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The construction at Kharagpur station. Image Courtesy: Joe Sinha 

Towards the southwest of the Howrah, locals around the Kharagpur station might be aware of the redevelopment plans; however, they showed resentment when asked about it. The electric three-wheeler drivers around the station mentioned that they were not happy about the changes and called such changes, “unnecessary”. On the other hand, the locals present near the tea stalls in front of the main entrance of the Kharagpur station expressed concerns “without strong opinions,” as a source confirms. 

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Charbagh railway station, Lucknow. Image Courtesy: Vedant Upadhayay

Noth-west from here, Lucknow’s Charbagh railway station stands as it is, as of yet, embracing the old charm of Mughal architecture that was imbibed in 1926. While it falls in the list of the Amrit Bharat Scheme, the old government’s plan for 2017 has already changed its surroundings, with the addition of metro station. The plans for parking till the platforms are still underway.

A balance, the ideal solution

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Image Courtesy: Joe Sinha 

Md. Shihad, who also worked as a heritage consultant for other countries, gives references to the redevelopment plans in countries like Hungary and Norway, stating that “the modern architectures were added as a complimentary bonus close to the heritage structures rather than replacing them and such a solution might be viable for India as well.”

Shormistha Mukherjee, the oral historian, who works for documenting the history and architecture of Mumbai, favours the move while maintaining that the restoration must be done with the “best of conservation practices also taken care of”. Narrating a personal experience, she says, “Recently, the escalators right on the platform at the Dadar station, after we got off a passenger train, helped my father as he is a senior citizen,” adding that “change is necessary with time for ensuring betterment and facilities”. Mukherjee also states that the boards that decide such a plan must include important stakeholders like historians and conservationists, along with the administration, for a “balanced approach”.

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A still from 'Chaiyyan Chaiyyan'.

However, as the 30 heritage railway stations are already underway the changes, only time can tell if the historical preservation has been retained or citizens will compromise watching the old charm of stations like the Nilgiri Mountain Railway (NMR) in Ooty – also a UNESCO World Heritage Site - just by the popular songs like, ‘Chaiyyan Chaiyyan’ which was shot on the rooftop of the NMR, that once showcased how heritage can produce a classic!

Even then, and given the fact that contemporary facilities like elevators, parkings and others are required for smooth day-to-day functioning, the bigger question still lies in front of the country, already grappling with crippled infrastructure and economy, whether such a massive project of Rs 41,000 crores was ever required in the first place, that too, costing the age-old establishments that speak volumes about history and culture of India. 

With inputs from Tiyasa Das, Joe Sinha and Vedant Upadhyay.

Amrit Bharat Scheme Heritage stations in Amrit Bharat Scheme