The Angel of Victory
The British firm Simpson and Brown has recently reported that the Angel of Victory on top of its dome has stopped revolving.
The observation is in stark contrast to the report submitted by the Victoria Memorial authorities toCalcutta high court in 2006, stating that the ball bearing under the angel has been "salvaged" and it is "responding to wind". The court had accordingly refused to pass any further order on the matter.
It may be noted that the British firm was engaged by the National Buildings Construction Corporation (NBCC) Ltd through a well-known architect to carry out a thorough inspection of the entire structure of the Victoria Memorial Hall.
Environment activist Subhas Datta, who had filed a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) after the angel stopped revolving before 2006, now says that Victoria Memorial authorities may have misguided the court when they submitted that the revolving mechanism has been repaired. According to him, the stationary angel is exerting significant pressure on the dome as the weight is not getting distributed.
"This is likely to harm the entire structure. The Angel of Victory was made in Rome and weighs about 4.5 metric tonne. Originally, it was placed on a mercury ball that helped it to revolve and the weight got distributed on the entire structure. Nobody seems to know when it stopped revolving in the first place. In 2005, I noticed the matter and filed the PIL in Calcutta high court. It was suggested that international experts be brought in to rectify the problem. Victoria Memorial authorities told the court that they had already identified experts who would be able to get the angel to revolve. I even wrote to then British Prime Minister Tony Blair and the Queen of England. I was also assured help, but Victoria Memorial authorities finally told the court that the problem has been solved. Even the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) didn't find anything wrong with the structure then," Datta said.
In 2012, experts from Simpson and Brown carried out a detailed inspection of the structure. "We inspected the revolve mechanism in the course of this inspection. It is well-known that the revolve mechanism of the angel in not functioning. The revolve mechanism of the Angel of Victory should be inspected by a suitably qualified and experienced firm of mechanical engineers, overhauled and routinely maintained in the future," James Simpson of Simpson and Brown stated in his report.
While Victoria Memorial authorities couldn't be contacted, Datta called this gross negligence on part of officials as well as those from the Union ministry of culture that is in charge of the Victoria Memorial Hall. When T J Baidya of ASI was contacted, he said that he wasn't in charge when the matter was in court. "I took over in 2008 and since then we have never stated that the angel revolves. At least, I haven't seen it revolve. It may have moved slightly on some occasions at best," he said.
The British firm Simpson and Brown, that was engaged by the National Buildings Construction Corporation (NBCC) Ltd through a well-known architect, to carry out a detailed inspection of the entire structure of the Victoria Memorial Hall, has reported that the Angel of Victory on top of its dome has stopped revolving. In 2006, Victoria Memorial (VM) authorities had submitted to Calcutta High Court that the ball bearing under the angel has been 'salvaged' and it is 'responding to wind'. The court had accordingly refused to pass any further order on the matter.
Environment activist Subhas Datta, who had filed the Public Interest Litigation (PIL) after the angel stopped revolving before 2006, now says that VM authorities may have misguided the court when they submitted that the revolving mechanism has been repaired. According to him, the stationary angel is exerting significant pressure on the dome as the weight is not getting distributed.
"This is likely to harm the entire structure. The Angel of Victory was made in Rome and weighs about 4.5 metric tonnes. Originally, it was placed on a mercury ball that helped it to revolve and the weight got distributed to the entire structure. Nobody seems to know when it stopped revolving in the first place. In 2005, I noticed the matter and filed the PIL in Calcutta High Court. It was suggested that international experts be brought in to rectify the problem. VM authorities told the court that they had already identified experts who would be able to get the Angel to revolve. I even wrote to then British Prime Minister Tony Blair and the Queen of England. I was also assured help but VM authorities finally told the court that the problem has been solved. Even the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) didn't find anything wrong with the structure then," Datta said.
In 2012, experts of Simpson and Brown carried out a detailed inspection of the structure. "We inspected the revolve mechanism in the course of this inspection. It is well-known that the revolve mechanism of the Angel in not functioning. The revolve mechanism of the Angel of Victory should be inspected by a suitably qualified and experienced firm of mechanical engineers, over hauled and routinely maintained in the future," James Simpson of Simpson and Brown stated in his report.
While VM authorities couldn't be contacted, Datta called this gross negligence on the part of officials as well as those from the Union ministry of culture, which is in charge of the VM Hall. When T J Baidya of the ASI was contacted, he said that he wasn't in charge when the matter was in court. "I took over in 2008 and since then, we have never stated that the angel revolves. At least, I haven't seen it revolve. It may have moved slightly on some occasions at best," he said.
IN FRESH TROUBLE: British firm Simpson and Brown’s report is in stark contrast to the report submitted by the Victoria authorities to Calcutta high court in 2006, stating that the ball bearing under the angel has been ‘salvaged’ and it is ‘responding to wind’
