THE GRAND MAIRIE Built in 1870-71, the Mairie (Town Hall) was considered a symbol of French colonial power. Also known as Hotel De Ville (French for town hall), it housed the office of Mayor of Pondicherry, the local Assembly, the Municipal Council, the Registry and other offices, including the office of Registrar of Births and Deaths. It was under the Mairie’s roof that the first signs of democracy were seen in this part of the world when the French here voted for elections to the Assembly in Paris as far back as 1871. Photo: INTACH Collection
A LANDMARK OF HISTORY Every major event of Puducherry’s political history since the late 19th century took place at the Mairie. Former Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru addressed the extraordinary session of the then Pondicherry Assembly on October 4, 1955. The Mairie housed the Legislative Assembly of Puducherry for four years from 1964 (when the first general election was held in the wake of de jure transfer of power) before the Assembly was shifted to the present premises in 1969. Photo: The Hindu Archives
SIGNS OF TROUBLE A portion of the ceiling caved in where the Puducherry Municipality was housed in 2009. The office of the Municipality was subsequently shifted to the Kamban Kalai Arangam premises. Photo: T. Singaravelou
A GLIMMER OF HOPE The Mairie was all set to get a facelift with a renovation plan under the Project Implementation Agency of the government with a Rs. 7.5 crore aid from the World Bank. The project was inaugurated on October 3, 2014. Photo: S.S. Kumar
THE COLLAPSE After years of neglect, the Mairie collapses on a rain-hit Saturday afternoon on November 29, 2014. Photo: S.S. Kumar
RESTORATION A board giving details about the proposed restoration plan of the iconic Mairie Building, is fixed outside the premises. Photo: S.S. Kumar
