Pictures by Ranjeet Kumar Dey

Believe it or not, small nuts and bolts are holding back the restoration of the colossal Golghar.

Seven months have gone into the restoration initiative undertaken by Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) for the heritage granary but bolts used to join the iron scaffolding have fallen short.

State archaeological directorate, the custodian of Golghar, in 2010 asked the ASI’s Patna circle to carry out restoration work on the outer and inner walls of the heritage structure.

The government sanctioned Rs 98 lakh in 2011 for the work that was necessitated after the 3.6m thick wall developed a vertical crack near the staircase. The restoration work was scheduled to be completed by the end of the 2013-14 fiscal. The last repair work at Golghar was carried out around 20 years ago.

Archaeological directorate director Atul Kumar Verma said: “The ASI was required to erect iron scaffolding all around the outer wall to carry out the restoration work. However, the bolts used for joining the scaffolding were found to be inadequate after covering the northern side of the wall.”

Sources claimed that the bolts required for the restoration work are supposed to be bought from Calcutta but the Patna circle of ASI cannot directly procure items from outside Bihar.

“Consequently, tenders would be floated to rope in a third-party firm that will supply the bolts. Work will then resume,” Verma added.

The director said once the bolts are in hand, the restoration work would take around six more months to be completed.

M.S. Chouhan, the superintending archaeologist of the Patna circle of ASI, said: “This is true that small nuts and bolts are holding up the restoration job. The clamps are not unusual but they are not found in Patna. They have to be fetched from Calcutta. The tender process has not started yet. As soon as we fix this problem, the restoration work would start.”

Chouhan added that many other formalities, too, have to be taken care of before going for the tender process.

“Lack of manpower after the resignation of two engineers has also created a vacuum in the Patna circle. The nut-and-bolt issue is a major problem but we have to follow the norm,” said Chouhan.

When asked what are the problems plaguing the restoration work, archaeological directorate director Atul Kumar Verma said: “Restoration of Golghar is an arduous job. The inside restoration is very risky because air pressure is very low at the tip. One worker can only work for an hour and has to come down. The second worker then climbs up to work for another hour. We just have two workers and you can imagine how much pressure they are in.”

He added that the pressure-grouting method is being used to restore the granary.

Pressure grouting is often used to fill up cracks and voids to control water seepage. This can be done both above and below the water to restore integrity to many types of structures. Pressure grouting increases the bearing capacity, consolidates structure interiors and arrests water infiltration.

It is also used in soil stabilisation to increase bearing capacity by forcing out small voids between grains of material. This application is typically used on foundations, earthen dams, footings, and floors. By pressure grouting soils, water infiltration can be virtually eliminated in several types of earthen structures.

Under such circumstances, the granary stands a dismal chance to be restored in six months.

The laggard in restoration work is also posing a shadow over the measures being taken by Bihar State Tourism Development Corporation (BSTDC) to revive the Golghar’s tourism potential. The corporation last Sunday organised the Golghar Challenge where participants were asked to take their selfies with the heritage granary in the background. Sources said a Golghar marathon is also being mulled by the BSTDC in October.