India, July 28 -- The Mumbai Heritage Conservation Committee (MHCC) has pulled up the state Public Works Department (PWD) over the ongoing renovation of the 19th-century Central Telegraph Office (CTO), a Grade-II heritage building in Fort, alleging that key alterations being carried out at the landmark were never approved and violate heritage conservation norms.

In a notice issued to the chief architect of the state PWD, the heritage committee has asked the department to produce the original approvals for the work. Failing that, it has directed the PWD to immediately halt the renovation and seek fresh permissions before proceeding further.

At the heart of the dispute are the installation of lift shafts and the replacement of the buildin...