Reportage: Archana Masih
Photograph: Jewella C Miranda

The Central Railway intends to make the famed building open to visitors. Though the ticketing counters and main concourse is accessible to commuters and visitors, the magnificent administrative section is out of bounds for the public.

The main entrance gate past the majestic columns with a lion representing Britain and tiger representing India leads to a corridor that has an old manual brass fire bell.

Just behind, by the doorway, sits Siddanna R guarding the keys of different offices in HQ's three buildings.

He has been guarding that post for many years and earns around Rs 6,000 a month. They call him and a few others like him the custodian -- the custodian of the keys.

The two storied administrative building houses four departments and more than a thousand employees.

The building is relatively clean, at least the corridors are. No paan stains, no smelly toilets -- for a government building, it is a revelation.

Railway historian G D Patwardhan says the building was spruced up to commemorate 150 years of the Indian Railways in 2002 and is reasonably well maintained.

The Central Railway, which has an annual budget of about Rs 5,000 crores (Rs 50 billion), has set aside Rs 4.85 crores (Rs 48.5 million) for maintenance of the heritage building in the first phase.

Cleanliness and repairs will begin at the end of the monsoon.