Preserve Devanahalli, Doddajala heritage stations: Karnataka activists to railways

BENGALURU: Heritage activists in the city have urged the railways to preserve the stations from the colonial era along the Bengaluru-Chikkaballapur route.
Stations like Doddajala, Avathihalli, Nandi Halt and Devanahalli commissioned in August 1915 are heritage structures, but are neglected and poorly maintained for several years.
Shubha Priya, a heritage enthusiast, posted on Facebook group ‘Bangalore — Photos from a Bygone Age’: “Wouldn’t it be amazing if Bangalore heritage lovers, AngloIndians and the Indian Railways joined hands to restore/recreate/convert these 4 enchanting 1915 train stations - Nandi, Avatihalli, Devanhalli and Doddajala - into book-cafes or museums of antiquity!? I believe there must be a way (sic)”
“A relic from the Raj, will soon disappear! The station master at Devanahalli told me they are awaiting demolition orders to bring down this 100 year old...” she added.
Ashok Kumar Verma, Bengaluru divisional railway manager, South Western Railway, said, “We don’t have plans to demolish these stations. No doubling work has been sanctioned on Bengaluru-Chikkaballapur route. In fact, we’re looking for sponsors to restore these buildings. There is a large potential to improve the facilities at Nandi Halt.”
Bengaluru-Chikkaballapur route was sanctioned in 1909 as a two-feet, six-inch gauge railway line. It was built on public-private partnership with Southern Maratha Railway Company and Mysore state when Sir M Visvesvaraya was the Diwan of Mysore.
“This was the first railway line in the Princely State of Mysore started by private enterprise under a guarantee from the government of 4% per annum on the capital subscribed – if the railway company earned less than 4% on its paid-up capital, the state would make good the difference; any surplus would be split 50:50 with the state,” wrote Siddharth Raja, a heritage enthusiast.
“Our railway authorities are the custodians of a storehouse of heritage and historically important stations and lines. Our Railway authorities would do well to remember at this time India’s truly forgotten ‘railway man’ our second PM Lal Bahadur Shastri under whose direction in the 1950s, independent India knit together the disparate colonial railway structure it inherited, and preserved our railways’ heritage” added Raja. Though the line was upgraded into a broad gauge, station buildings remained the same, but they are now struggling for survival. Priya Chetty-Rajagopal, founder of Heritage Beku, said,“The stations need to be protected. They are close to the airport so the tourism department, DULT and BIAL should come together to arrange cycling tours to attract visitors. I’ve written to the heritage directorate of the railway board.”
Only three pairs of trains are operated on this single line a day. The railways has recently turned Arasalu railway station in Shivamogga district, where the TV serial ‘Malgudi Days’ was shot, into Malgudi Museum.