The work on what is being touted as the ‘mini Niagra falls’ in Lalbagh Botanical Garden is in the final stages and the Horticulture Department is planning to begin the trial of the system beginning next week.
The waterfall, being developed at a cost of ₹2 crore, will use a pump to take water from the lake to a height of 30 to 40ft every day, and will be the newest attraction at the botanical garden.
But, in the same park is the Krumbiegel Hall, a building of immense historical importance dedicated to Gustav Hermann Krumbiegel, the man whose contribution to the city’s green cover is legendary.
Sadly, neglect has stripped the building of its past glory and the structure lies in a dilapidated state. Copious rain in October has brought down the left wall of the structure and even the debris is not cleared. The front wall of the building has bee n disfigured with scribblings.
The four pillars, holding the building together, are barely standing and the Gandaberunda (two-headed mythological bird thought to possess magical strength) has almost faded. The roof has also caved in.
Unhappy with authorities letting an important part of history to crumble to pieces, citizens have raised concerns about the state of the building on social media and asked if a mini-Niagara Falls inside Lalbagh is really needed. Ramamurthy Annaswami said, “It is saddening to see the neglect to the building and garden as a whole.”
The left wall has crumbled and the debris lies uncleared.
The photos shared on social media also caused Alyia Phelps-Gardiner Krumbiegel, the great granddaughter of Krumbiegel, to react.
Speaking to The Hindu , she said, “Recent photos that I have seen show that the roof has caved in, and the structure is being held in place by magnificent front pillars, which are struggling to stand. The restoration responsibility of Krumbiegel Hall, which is more than 100 years old, was with the Public Works Department. The department has, very evidently, failed to carry out any restoration work for years now. I would love the hall to be restored to its old glory,” she said.
Remembering the stories she heard from her grandmother Hilda G.H. Krumbiegel (Krumbiegel’s oldest daughter), she said, “My great grandfather loved the lecture hall. It was where he would practise his speeches. My grandmother would cycle up to the hall to take his lunch prepared by my great grandmother, who was an excellent cook.”
“Progress has to happen, you cannot stop it. But, history also needs to be preserved. Krumbiegel Hall has witnessed the unfurling of the story of Lalbagh Botanical Gardens, and that alone makes it a reason to preserve it,” she added.
