Fire engulfs the Government Printing Press in Chennai

The building constructed in 1807 on Mint Street served initially as a mint for the British government and was  later established (in 1888) as a printing press, the building was categorised as a Grade I heritage building in 2008 by the Justice E Padmanabhan Committee that was constituted by the Madras High Court to identify heritage buildings in the city. Tonnes of paper, mostly government documents worth several lakhs and printing machines were also destroyed in the fire that broke out around 2.10 am.  

Friday’s fire was the second such incident on the campus. About five months ago, the store house, which is adjacent to the printing building, was destroyed. Around one hundred tons of paper, mostly government documents, worth Rs 15 lakhs was destroyed then.

The building was spread over 40,000 sq/ft each, on the ground and first floor. It is only one of ten buildings on the campus, but it is the most important, officials said, because all the printing and binding is done here. Around 1,600 people work every day on the campus. The printing section is also known as ‘budget’ section since budget documents, including copies of the Chief Minister’s and Governor’s speeches, are printed.

“It is unfortunate that the building, the first mint built by the British in Madras Presidency, has been pulled down. Efforts must have been put into restoring it,” said K Kalpana, a conservation architect.