Mumbai's Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus will complete 130 years in May 2018.
The historic Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus (CSMT) in Mumbai has found a new benefactor. SBI Foundation, the CSR subsidiary of India's largest bank has promised Rs 10 crore for conservation and restoration of the building.
Central Railway's Divisional Railway Manager SK Jain and SBI Managing Director PK Gupta signed a memorandum of understanding, as per which the SBI Foundation will provide Rs 10 crore towards the project under the "SBI-Project Swachh Iconic CSMT".
The Shivaji Terminus has been identified as one of the top 10 Swachh Iconic Places by the Ministry of Drinking Water & Sanitation under the Swachh Bharat Mission programme of the central government.
The project undertaken by SBI Foundation will provide the amount to the Central Railway over a period of three-to-five years for renovation of the building. The project will be evaluated, executed and monitored by Central Railway.
D K Sharma, General Manager of Central Railway told NDTV, "It's the duty of all Mumbaikars to preserve this heritage and I would like to thank the SBI foundation for their effort. This money will go a long way to restore this building to its old glory."
Popularly known as VT or Victoria Terminus, the building is one of Mumbai's most famous landmarks. The building has been immortalized in several films.
So far the Central Railway has been spending from its own coffers for the maintenance of the Terminus but with help from the corporate sector, railway authorities say the constraints of funding will be resolved.
An engineering marvel designed by famous architect FW Stevens, the Shivaji Terminus - originally called Victoria Terminus - was built at a cost of around Rs 1.61 million and will complete 130 years in May 2018.
The station handles over 30 lakh commuters daily and had made international headlines when terrorists attacked the station ni