For nearly 300 years, the Galle Fort Post Office had stood the test of time. That is until last week when a significant portion of the building, declared as an archaeological protected monument in 1974, collapsed onto the adjoining Church Street, causing serious damage to the already dilapidated building. A street used regularly by residents, school children and tourists alike, it was a miracle that no one had been injured in the incident.
According to authorities, years of neglect, consecutive renovation projects that failed to launch and mounting costs had resulted in the near destruction of the Post Office building which is deemed to be one of the most historically important edifices within the Galle Fort. However, now determined to take quick action to prevent further deterioration, the Department of Posts will commence the restoration process on the instructions of Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa, this week. The cost as estimated by the Galle Heritage Fund has been set at Rs. 60 Million.
Over the years, parts of the building had collapsed on different occasions. When yet another wall caved in during April this year, the Department of Posts was forced to move its office which had been functioning at the location since 1872. The latest collapse has left residents and archeology enthusiasts questioning the fate of the iconic building.
While the Galle Heritage Foundation is tasked with the conservation and development of the Galle Fort as a historical cultural city center, according to its Director D.K.S Jayalakshmi, the responsibility of maintaining the Galle Fort Post Office lies with the Department of Posts. “It is on land belonging to the Department and it is their responsibility to maintain it,” she said.
However, according to Jayalakshmi, over the years, the Department of Posts had found it difficult to bear the renovation costs. “This resulted in its eventual dilapidated state,” she said. According to the Foundation’s director, despite the building becoming damaged on several occasions and being recognized as one of the six important buildings that need to be renovated, only provisional measures were taken to restore the damaged portions.
According to her, renovation plans had been proposed and discussed by consecutive governments but had failed to launch. Among these was a plan by the former government, under the Ministry of Southern Development, which had sought to renovate a number of identified historically important buildings under the guidance of UNESCO.
The occupants of these buildings were even given marching orders at the time in accordance with Cabinet Paper No. 17/1759/702/002-XIX. Accordingly, the Magistrate’s Court, Magistrate’s Official Residence, All Saints’ College, Police In-service Training Institute, Police Barracks, Galle Fort Police Station, Bank of Ceylon Office, E. Court’s Building, Southern Provincial Road Passenger Transport Authority, SIPNARA Building, Tea Small Holdings, Maritime Archaeological Unit, Port Authority Official Bungalow, Sri Lanka Telecom and Harbour Master’s Office were expected to be vacated. This process was declared as necessary in order to retain the UNESCO Heritage status of the Galle Fort.
While the authorities leading the renovation process had planned to convert these buildings for tourism, the attempts to relocate the Post Office to a different location permanently and transferring ownership of the original Post Office building to the Galle Heritage Fund had met with serious opposition. This led the United Postal Services Trade Union to launch a three day strike in June, 2017.
The Union opposed the government’s proposal to sell the Post Office building to private developers to be converted to hotels. In August, 2017, the Cabinet Committee on Economic Management (CCEM) then directed that proposals be sought from prospective parties for the renovation of the building, in accordance with the conservation principles stipulated by UNESCO and the Galle Heritage Foundation. The renovated building was expected to include the provision for a continuation of the current postal services. But the project has made slow progress.
According to Jayalakshmi, renovation plans of six out of 28 buildings identified to be restored are scheduled to be completed by the end of 2019. “The renovation plans would identify the current status of the building and the necessary renovations,” she added. While a public and private partnership development plan had been finally agreed on during a Ministry of Buddhasasana, Culture and Religious Affairs meeting on November 6, Jayalakshmi said the latest devastating collapse had occurred before any plan could go forward. “We spent a lot of money to remove weeds and secure the walls. This money has now gone down the drain because of the recent damage,” she said.
However, while the proposals for restoration were being debated, the Department of Archeology had brought its concerns regarding the dangerous state of the Post Office to the notice of the Department of Posts. Speaking to the Sunday Observer, the Director General of Archeology Prof. P.B. Mandawala noted that the restoration of the Post Office was discussed over many years. “Our officers gave the Department of Posts certain instructions, at times even in writing, due to concerns of its state,” he said.
According to Prof. Mandawala, it is the Department of Posts that must take the initiative. “If they decide to restore the building, it must be done under the guidance of our department,” he said, adding that, under the Antiquities Ordinance, that is as far as the Department of Archeology could go in this regard. “We are ready to support them,” he added.
While the complete renovation of the building has been estimated at around Rs. 60 Million according to the Galle Heritage Foundation, Postmaster General Ranjith Ariyaratne said that in a weeks time the initial steps will be taken to commence the renovation process. Ariyaratne admitted that, despite previous attempts to commence renovations, the crippling costs had been too much for the Department to bear on its own. But the Department too had not been favorable to handing over the Post Office building to the Galle Heritage Foundation in 2017. “It is historically important to us as it is one of the first five post offices established in Sri Lanka,” Ariyaratne said, adding that the Department had therefore fought to retain the premises.
Currently, instructions have been given to clear the rubble, while the Department of Posts has also sought permission from the Department of Archaeology to commence some repairs. “Unfortunately, we will have to knock down another portion of the premises as it has become dangerous following the recent collapse,” he said.
But, according to Ariyaratne, the issue has been discussed with Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa under whose purview the Department of Archaeology now falls. “Accordingly, we will complete the initial process in the coming weeks as it has been decided to formulate a program to renovate the building soon,” he said. Ariyaratne also assured that once renovations are complete, the Post Office will once again be moved into the restored premises. “It is not only important historically. Tourists like to visit the site. So, it will be restored to its former glory,” he assured.