INTACH, SWR partner to restore 105-year-old Doddajala, Avatihalli, Devanahalli and Nandi Halt stations on Bengaluru-Chikkaballapur line
BENGALURU:
The much-awaited renovation of century-old stations on the Bengaluru-Chikkaballapur railway line by INTACH (Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage) began with a pooja at Doddajala railway station in the presence of South Western Railway officials.
SWR had signed an MoU with INTACH for the restoration of Doddajala, Avatihall, Devanahalli and Nandi Halt stations on February 25 this year. The NGO will arrange funding under CSR from various corporates for the project.
According to SWR’s Bengaluru division DRM Ashok Kumar Verma, the restoration work costing around Rs 30 lakh is fully funded by INTACH and will be completed within two months.
The restoration work of Avatihalli station will commence from the 3rd week of July and is likely to be completed within two months. INTACH recently submitted the DPR for Devanahalli station and it is under the scrutiny of the Heritage Committee.
The heritage team headed by SWR’s ADRM Kusuma will oversee the restoration work.
105-year history
The stations on the Bengaluru-Chikkaballapur line are 105 years old. Doddajala, Devanahalli, Avatihalli and Nandi Halt stations are classic examples of the hybrid features of colonial and vernacular architecture. In each of these stations, the main structure has a four-way Mangalore-tiled gable roof. Each gable has a circular glass window porthole for ventilation and aesthetics. A dressed-granite colonnaded verandah flanks the main structure on all sides. The verandah has its own sloping roof supported by steel girders and timber rafters.
