Kurupam Market clock, plaque safe?

VISAKHAPATNAM: With the Kurupam Market gateway reduced to rubble much to the horror of heritage-lovers in the city, the next big question haunting them is what did the authorities do with the clock and the plaque on which the donor's name was etched?
The vendors in the market claim that they were simply smashed to smithereens while the bulldozers went to work on the unique colonial structure that was known to be strongly influenced by the Indo-Saracenic style of architecture.
"We were asked to vacate the market with our goods as they were not sure which way the gateway would fall. As for the clock and the plaque, we are not sure where they are kept. All we know is that whatever is left of them is with the endowments authorities. It is heart wrenching to see what they are doing to the place," said a still shocked local shopkeeper S Mohan (name changed).
Some of the crane operators on the field refused to divulge who they worked for but when asked about the remnants of the clock and plaque, pointed towards the locked endowments department office.
Ironically, even as the Greater Visakhapatnam Municipal Corporation (GVMC), which allegedly pulled down the heritage structure, remains in denial mode, the endowment's authorities still claimed to be in the dark. MVSN Murthy, deputy commissioner, endowments department, simply said, "We will let you know."
While neither confirming nor denying GVMC's role in the demolition, GVMC commissioner M V Satyanarayana said, "From what I have been told by officials, it was not listed as a heritage property. More importantly, the structure had suffered severe damage and we were informed that keeping it standing would be dangerous." Regarding the whereabouts of whatever little was left of the clock and the plaque, the commissioner said he would have to find out.
However, endowments department executive officer in charge of Kurupam Market, Bandaru Prasad, said: "The clock, wooden beams, grid-locks and the plaque have all been kept safely." When asked if a modern structure would come up on the premises, the official said they would take the help of conservationists and shilpis from the endowments department to build an exact replica of the old structure by using the same materials that were then used at a cost of Rs 63 lakh. When asked if the GVMC engineering department had certified the structure as unsafe, Prasad said, "The GVMC engineering department did certify the structure as unsafe and fit for demolition."
An outraged E Rani Sarma, former convener, Indian National Trust For Art and Cultural Heritage (Intach), Vizag chapter, said, "As atonement for destroying the heritage structure they should replicate it exactly as it was. They must take the help and expertise of conservation experts to ensure that it is rebuilt properly. More importantly, Vuda should form a heritage committee and the civic body should also rein in its engineers before they give orders to demolish the heritage of the city. At this rate there will be no heritage tourism left in Vizag."
Pointing out the importance of the clock, Rani Sarma said, "A 100-year-old tower clock has significant value of its own as it reflects the workmanship of that age. Whatever is left of the clock should be preserved even if it is just the frame alone." The Kurupam Market gateway was built in honour of Edward VII to mark his coronation in 1914 by Raja Vyricherla Veerabhadra Raju, the then zamindar of Kurupam estate.