Restoring Taj Mahal Palace and Tower Hotel's glory

The restoration of the century-old Taj Mahal Palace and Tower Hotel in downtown Mumbai that was considerably damaged during the terror siege could take as much as 12 months and cost about Rs.5 billion (Rs.500 crore/$100 million), experts on structural engineering and architecture say.

A sea-facing landmark of India's commercial capital, offering a panoramic view of the Arabian Sea and the majestic Gateway of India, the hotel was built in 1903, with its architecture blending Moorish, Oriental and Florentine styles.

Thus, the restoration, will take that much more time and cost more than conventional restorations, the experts said, adding the services of professional institutions like the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) may also be required.

"The Taj is one of our oldest hotels and a heritage structure. So, any restoration work would take a minimum of a year. It is my estimate that it could cost somewhere around Rs.500 crore," said Pandurang Potnis, vice president of the Indian Institute of Architecture.

"You must understand that restoration work for such structures is a cumbersome process. It involves a detailed assessment of the damage with blueprints. Only then can the damaged structure be strengthened," he added.

"In India, this kind of technology is available with only a handful of institutions like the Archaeological Survey of India," Potnis, who also runs Bangalore-based architecture consultancy firm under his name, told IANS.

Visitors to the Taj Mahal Palace and Tower Hotel have come away in awe of its Indian influences, vaulted alabaster ceilings, onyx columns, archways, carpets and chandeliers, as also its collection of art and antique furniture.

Jamsetji N. Tata, the legendary founder of India's largest industrial house, built the 565-room hotel much before the Gateway of India was completed in 1928 to commemorate the visit of Britain's King George V and Queen Mary.

The grand property, which will also require some experienced artisans and workers to refurbish and restore, has hosted royalty, heads of states, corporate honchos and celebrities, among other guests in the past.

A.K. Nagpal, the head of the civil engineering department at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) here, also said that structural engineering was the trickiest part in restoration of damaged properties.

"We have undertaken such consulting projects in the past and provide advice to even private companies," added Nagpal, who specializes in areas like structural engineering and tall buildings.

Rajesh Thambi, who runs an architectural design firm Saving Catalyst here, said that if it takes a skilled person around five minutes to construct one sq ft of carpeted area, restoration would take anywhere between 45-50 minutes.

"I would say that the cost of restoration - it will take a lot of care while doing so - will be around Rs.1,500-Rs.2,000 per square feet."

The owners of the property, Indian Hotels Ltd., have said that they would take all measures to restore the Mumbai landmark and had an insurance policy against terror attacks.

"We are not just determined, but completely committed, to rebuilding the institution. We will restore it to its fullest glory," said company vice chairman R.K. Krishna Kumar.

"The loss of life is extremely distressing, as is seeing a building as unique as this destroyed. The entire top floor has gone up in flames, but as soon as the dust settles we will go out there and begin the rebuilding," Krishna Kumar added.

Armed terrorists who had seized the hotel for four days earlier this week had set deliberate parts of it on fire in a bid to damage it. The hotel suffered further damage when commandos had moved against the terrorists Friday-Saturday to wrest it back from them.

Tata Group chairman Ratan Tata visited the property Saturday with his management team to inspect the damage and discuss measures for the Taj Mahal Palace and Tower Hotel's restoration.

Indian Forces Comb Taj Mahal Hotel as Shooting, Blasts Subside

Indian forces combed a hotel in Mumbai looking for remaining militants and hostages as fighting subsided about 60 hours after attacks on the country’s commercial capital that left about 160 people dead.

Two blasts were heard inside the Taj Mahal Palace and Tower Hotel after the National Security Guard said in a public announcement it would set off controlled explosions. Firemen who were putting out a blaze that started shortly after daybreak pulled back from the building.

Busloads of commandoes moved in earlier to do a room-by- room search after gunshots and blasts that had rocked the building in the early hours of today subsided. The siege on the hotel is over, Press Trust of India said in a news flash. The NSG said it wasn’t declaring an end to the crisis until all rooms at the Taj Mahal hotel were searched.

Three militants were killed at the hotel, said J.K. Dutt, director general of NSG commando unit at a briefing, adding some guests may still be in the complex. The death toll was at 160 after the attacks on 10 sites in the city and 11 militants were killed, CNN said before the NSG briefing.

The Indian government said earlier at least 370 were injured as the attackers moved through India’s financial hub, targeting the Oberoi-Trident hotel complex, the Taj Mahal, a railroad station and a restaurant and a Jewish center.

Most of those who died were Indians and a final death toll hasn’t been officially released. Five Americans died in the attacks, the U.S. State Department said in a statement. More U.S. citizens are missing.

Claiming Responsibility

A German, two Australians, two Frenchmen, a Briton, a Japanese, a Canadian, a Singaporean and an Italian were among the dead, the Associated Press said yesterday.

Two rabbis from New York were among five hostages and two attackers who died at the Jewish Chabad-Lubavitch Center in Mumbai when it was stormed by Indian commandos.

A little-known Islamist group, the Deccan Mujahedeen, claimed responsibility for the shootings and explosions across the western coastal city, Indian Home Ministry official M.L. Kumawat said.

The attackers began planning their assaults six months ago, India’s NDTV reported, citing an account from a captured terrorist. A seized global positioning system showed some of the group left Karachi, Pakistan, as early as Nov. 12, NDTV said.

The attackers were familiar with their targets and had probably done surveys in advance, a leader of Indian commandos said yesterday in a video on the Times of India Web site.

“We came up against highly motivated terrorists,” Vice- Admiral J.S. Bedi, whose commandos led the assault against the militants, said in televised comments. He showed pictures of recovered hand grenades, tear-gas shells and AK-47 ammunition.

Multiple attacks have hit cities in India, which is mostly Hindu, with bombs planted in markets, theaters and near mosques this year, leaving more than 300 people dead.

India will “go after” individuals and organizations behind the attacks, which were “well-planned with external linkages,” Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said in a televised address, without identifying nations.

Request Rebuffed

Pakistan’s government turned down India’s request to send the chief of the military intelligence agency to investigate the Mumbai terror attacks, CNN-IBN television reported today.

Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari said earlier he will send the intelligence head to India for the first time to counter claims that the attackers are linked to his country.

Pakistan’s “government will cooperate with India in exposing and apprehending the culprits and the masterminds behind” the Mumbai terrorist attacks, according to a statement by the president’s office, citing Zardari’s phone conversation yesterday with Singh.

The attacks in Mumbai show a militant movement among Indian-born followers of Islam is aligning its campaign with those from majority-Muslim countries, while seeking to hit economic interests, B. Raman, the former counterterrorism director of India’s intelligence agency, said in a telephone interview yesterday.