Thane Cyclone unleashed fury on ageing Garden House in Cuddalore District

 

RAVAGED: The heritage building where British General Robert Clive lived and which serves as the camp office of the Cuddalore Collector, was partially damaged in the cyclone. 

 

 

          A team from the Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage (INTACH) has been called to inspect the damage caused by cyclone ‘Thane' to the 18th Century edifice here that was once the home of British General Robert Clive. Known as the Garden House in colonial parlance, it has been declared a heritage structure and serves as the camp of the District Collector.

       Situated in the heart of Cuddalore town, it had famed sylvan surroundings and thick woods. Tucked away from public view, the magnificent building had come up in the midst of gigantic trees. The mansion, which hosted many a banquet during the heydays of the British, was constructed using bricks and slake lime. Built in 1702 at a cost of Rs.27,500, the building fell into disrepair after the departure of the British.

        It is learnt that the roof collapsed in 1984, forcing subsequent Collectors to move to a modest building on the same campus. It prominently displays a circular plaque stating “This house was occupied by Robert Clive, afterwards created Lord Clive, circa 1756.” The ground floor of the colonial legacy now serves as the camp office and conference hall where the review meetings, including in-camera ones, are held. When the cyclone struck Cuddalore, as many as 60 trees on the campus were uprooted, blocking the approach road. The Collector could come out of the building only after removing the trees obstructing the way.

      The falling trees damaged the tiles on the roofs and chipped away a portion of the balcony. The ferocious winds broke glass panes and wooden frames of windows. The once well maintained garden in front of the building is now in tatters. When contacted, District Collector Rajendra Ratnoo told The Hindu that preliminary estimates showed that the building had suffered damages to the tune of Rs.30 lakh. Since it was a heritage structure renovation work could be entrusted only to experts. He said that the Superintendent of Police's bungalow, near Silver Beach, was another heritage building that was extensively damaged. He had asked the INTACH to send a team to assess the damage and prepare an estimate, in coordination with the Public Works Department and the Tamil Nadu Police Housing Corporation, to restore these heritage structures to their pristine glory.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Plea to fill vacant engineering posts in PWD in Cuddalore District

 

Helping out farmers: Collector V. Amuthavalli at a grievance meeting in Cuddalore on Friday.

CUDDALORE: 

       Farmers have urged Collector V. Amuthavalli to take steps to fill engineering posts lying vacant in Public Works Department. A plea was made at a grievance day meeting held here on Friday.

         At a time when water was set to be released for irrigation through canals stretching for hundreds of kilometers in the district, the vacancies would affect the efficient functioning of the PWD in regulating supply. It was also pointed out that even though the Neyveli Lignite Corporation had allotted a sum of Rs. 25 crore for desilting the Wallajah tank, the works were yet to begin. It was stated that fertilizer shortage and faulty transformers affecting power supply to the farms were also affecting agricultural production.

           In certain places, defective transformers were replaced by farmers at their own expenses and, in such cases the district administration should make arrangement for reimbursement. There was undue delay in processing seeds in the seed treatment plant located at Vriddhachalam, which, in turn, affected the cash flow of seed suppliers (farmers). It was alleged that the seeds obtained from government depots were sub-standard and did not sprout.

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Cror es lost in mining in Cuddalore

          Government is losing crores due to illegal sand mining by the sand mafia besides alleged bending of rules by government officials to create artificial demand, according to Tamil Nadu Lorry Owners Federation.M K Nagappan, general secretary, TN Lorry Owners Federation and South Chennai Lorry Owners Federation, alleged that lack of an agency to monitor the sale of sand has resulted in the escalation of price hitting the construction sector.

           Highlighting the apathy of public works department officials, he alleged that the department officials are violating the government order to provide two units of sand for small vehicles and four units for multi-axle vehicles in Cuddalore. “They are providing us with only three units from June 1, 2011,” Nagappan alleged, adding that they have to adjust the price of three units to four units.When PWD executive engineer Palanikumar was contacted by City Express, he did say a Government Order was there in 2003 to give four units of sand. However, a separate GO also came into being during the DMK regime in 2008 to provide three units of sand. 

             “I was in Chennai to discuss the issue. The 2008 GO never said that four units of sand should not be issued. I will provide the usual quota of sand to the lorries,” he said. Nagappan also alleged that sand is being mined from a quarry in Thirukazhagukundram in Pattavatam near Kanchipuram district despite being closed by the government. “Tractors and bullock carts are being used to smuggle the sand,” he alleged. But when Varma, a sand quarry official, was contacted, he said the quarry will open from Wednesday and a kilometer-long road is being built by using the sand from the riverbed by using the tractors. But Nagappan said that rived sand is never used in laying the road. 

             “Officials are bending the rules to create a artificial sand crisis in the city besides sand mafia is piling sand in their godown to sell it at the black market as well as for second sales,” he alleged.TN Sand and Lorry Owners Federation president S Yuvaraj told City Express that 55 per cent of the construction sector in the city is affected as only six quarries are functioning of the 22 quarries which were operating before elections. Now only 3,000 load of sand is being transported to the city against the demand of 10,000 to 12,000 load per day, he added. Currently, two quarries in Villupuram, two in Cuddalore, one in Kanchipuram and one in Vellore are functioning.

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