more-in After a five-year-long effort, Kalas Mahal, the historic structure that was ravaged in a fire, has been restored to its original magnificence. The 248-year-old heritage structure, which was once part of the Chepauk palace, was severely damaged in a fire in 2012. Visitors to the Public Works Department (PWD) complex cannot miss the red building that has now gained a fresh lease of life after the complex restoration work was carried out. To house NGT bench Spread over 22,000 sq.ft., the ground floor will soon house the National Green Tribunal, Southern Bench for which a government directive for allotment is awaited. The bench is now functioning at Arumbakkam. According to PWD officials, which is implementing the project, the ground floor will have three court halls and rooms for the registrar, chairman and other members. Painstaking effort have been put into restoring the windows and doors of the heritage structure. At present, work is on to renovate the first floor of the heritage building. Labourers are involved in wall and ceiling plastering work. “We will soon take up the work to rebuild the ‘Kalasa’, the octagonal dome of the heritage structure. The work will be completed by April-end,” an official said. About 80% of the work on the first floor that included the Madras Terrace roofing has been completed so far. Officials recalled that construction material and skilled labourers had to be sourced from other parts of the State for the conservation work. The entire project was executed at the cost of ?14.5 crore. Allocation of the first floor to government agencies has not been decided yet. The PWD has also called for an expression of interest from conservation architects to restore the Humayun Mahal, the heritage building located next to the Kalas Mahal. The Humayun Mahal too had roof collapses and a minor fire accident in the past. Once the conservation architect provides a detailed project report on restoring the building, work would be taken up in few months, the official said.

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