Tie beams to make 150-year-old heritage New Market quake-proof
Times of India | 15 November 2024
123 Kolkata: The Kolkata Municipal Corporation will install tie beams or horizontal beams that connect columns to secure the 150-year-old New Market from earthquakes. A structural safety assessment by a team from Jadavpur University had flagged concerns about the safety of the grade-I heritage market.
Member, mayor-in-council overseeing the KMC market department Amiruddin Bobby said the engineers had decided on the tie beams to reinforce the market. On Thursday, he led a team of civic engineers and inspected the landmark market before finalising the restoration plans.
According to a KMC engineer, a tie beam's function is to enhance a structure's stability and rigidity by connecting columns and minimising structural deflection by distributing loads. According to Bobby, the tie beams will be installed along the market's 3 km periphery. The MMiC said the tender for the project will be floated by early next year.
The grand shopping arcade had commenced operations on Jan 1, 1874. According to the MMiC, the state has sanctioned Rs 26 crore for the market's restoration. "It is a precision endeavour, and the work shall be executed under supervision of experts in heritage buildings restoration," stated the MMiC.
However, the visit to the heritage market indicated that the civic body must relocate traders from different segments before commencing the tie beam work. "We must gain the traders' confidence as we need to relocate hundreds of traders from flower range, crockery range, Golghar and other segments before undertaking this crucial task," said a civic official.
Sources in KMC market department indicated the state had agreed to disburse an initial grant of approximately Rs 13 crore for the restoration, encompassing repair of the sprawling market, restoration of the clock tower and decongesting the surrounding streets currently occupied by hawkers. Subsequently, the state shall release an equivalent amount before completion of the restoration work.
The revamp proposal received joint nod from KMC and the West Bengal Heritage Commission over a year ago.
Restoration architects and structural engineers indicated the market would undergo structural restoration through preservation engineering approach, an emerging discipline in engineering for sustainability of architectural assets. This encompasses strengthening the market's roof, walls and pillars, whilst ensuring its long-term durability to preserve its historical value for future generations.
Whilst the city has witnessed numerous instances of architectural restoration, the work at New Market shall also involve structural restoration, akin to the undertaking at the Tala tank, explained structural engineering expert Biswajit Som, who alongside structural engineer Gokul Mondal assisted a Jadavpur University team in preparing the detailed project report on New Market's restoration.
Portions of the market urgently require repairs with fragments falling from the ceiling in the vegetable, flower and meat ranges, and the Golghar at the centre.
Engineers from JU who conducted the structural safety and risk assessment have identified three areas of concern: its long high walls without cross support, brick vaulted roofs without reinforcement that have developed deformity in sections and vulnerable old uneven normally brittle cast iron pillars.