Fate of two heritage buildings of Mysuru city hangs in balance

Mysuru: Even while the city of heritage buildings- Mysuru is not clear on what to do with the Deveraja Market and Lansdowne building- which carry a great heritage value, efforts to kindle a meaningful debate is on politically, but the city is also wary of the probable outcome. The conservationists may want it restored intheir original form while development bugs want them to be razed down and rebuilt the structures in their original form. But there is the third category that wants a modern market built in their place.

The Mysuru City Corporation in 2020 had resolved that a stronger structure in the same heritage and antiquity style can last for another 100 years. The corporation would follow by the directives of the High Court respecting Devaraja Market, one of the city's heritage landmarks," the Mysuru City Corporation resolution read. However, the then Commissioner Gurudatt Hegde who was a part of the committee formed to examine the DeverajaMarket held the view that the structural condition of the heritage building was appalling and something needed to be done immediately. A technical group has also put its mind together to come up with a solution.

The MCC council had resolved to remove the building and reconstruct it on heritage lines which are yet on hold.

The experts' committee that looked into the structural strength of the 121-year-old Lansdowne building in this royal city have opined that instead of dismantling it, the building can be strengthened further by adopting conditional mapping. It may be recalled here that a portion of the building had collapsed killing four people on August 25 in 2012.

Since it is a piece of history of Mysore the Lansdowne building has a deep attachment with the people of the city. It was one of the first colonial markets built by the British in 1892 and had been a 'living monument' of that era. According to the expert of the Indian Heritage Cities Network Federation Govindan Kutty, the building was old but it can be structurally strengthened to retain the same beauty and stature and utility to the people of Mysore. But every individual shop should be mapped for strength regularly and maintenance of the building taken up at regular intervals.

On Saturday MLA L Nagendra met Pramoda Devi Wadiyar, a scion of the former royal family, on Friday amid the heated debate over the proposal to destroy and rebuild the Devaraja Market and Lansdowne Bazaar structures.

Commissioner G Lakshmikantha Reddy of the Mysuru City Corporation and other authorities paid a visit to Pramoda Devi in the palace's residential wing. Nagendra informed Pramoda Devi of the current status and court orders, references from the government-formed taskforce committee and Heritage Experts Committee, and MCC council judgments and opinions.

He also discussed his plans to restore, repair, or rebuild the structure using heritage materials.

"We will also discuss with experts and make a judgement on how to manage the two structures for the public good after 15 days," Wadiyar said.