RailEnquiry

Karnataka will have the first monument in the country that will be shifted it its entirety as one piece.

By obtaining all the necessary clearances, South Western Railways has initiated the process of inviting tenders to shift the 225-year-old Tipu’s armoury.

SWR chief administrative officer Adesh Sharma said: “Tenders will be invited to shift the armoury in a week’s time. We will process them as soon as possible and shift the armoury as it will help us in laying the second line of the Bangalore-Mysore Doubling Project at the earliest.”

Sharma says the railways is planning to invite national tenders to avoid paying international construction companies in foreign currency. Indian construction companies that have partnership with foreign construction companies are allowed to participate in the tender process.

Indian construction companies currently do not have the expertise to shift the armoury in one piece, officials said. “They will have to either engage the services of foreign professionals or collaborate with international construction companies,” an official added.

The Story So Far

The armoury, one of eight constructed by Tipu Sultan, is within the alignment of the proposed second railway line under the Bangalore-Mysore Doubling Project. As the armoury is a protected monument and comes under the Directorate of Archaeology and Museums, the Government of Karnataka and, the railways had to obtain clearances to shift it.

The armoury falls within 300 metres of the Srirangapatna Fort, which is a national monument. Railways had also obtained clearance from the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) to shift the armoury.

The ASI recently gave this clearance. Railways also engaged the services of the Institution of Engineers to suggest ways and means of shifting the armoury and finalised on the move to shift the entire armoury in one piece.