Century-old School building demolished at Ittigegud

• DC, who is also the Heritage Committee Chairman and Archaeology Department officials say they have no information about it.

• The razing work, taken up by MUDA three months ago, was stopped then after stiff opposition.

Mysuru: Just three months after the demolition works of the century-old school building at Ittigegud taken up by the Mysuru Urban Development Board (MUDA) was stopped after stiff opposition, the historical school of Ittigegud in the heart of the city become history on Saturday. The MUDA had earlier planned to construct a commercial complex at an estimated cost of Rs.2.8 crore. 

Now, the building has been demolished all off a sudden using an earth-moving machine which has now become a centre of controversy. Historians and heritage experts have slammed the demolition of the school building.

Meanwhile, Deputy Commissioner Abhiram G. Sankar and the officials of the Department of Archaeology, Museums and Heritage, said that they have no information about it. As calls made to MUDA Commissioner could not be connected, it is to known, who undertook the demolition of the 109-year-old historic school which dates back to pre-independence era.

The school was built in 1910 during Nalwadi Krishnaraja Wadiyar’s rule but was left unused since about eight years. Though the school building in not listed in the heritage buildings’ list, the public have emotional relationship with the building.

Expressing their ire over the demolition of the historic building, the public said that there were many vacant Government lands, where a commercial complex could have been built and added that the historic school building could have been renovated and could have been converted into a library.

Meanwhile, officials of the Department of Archaeology, Museums and Heritage, reacting to the demolition of the historic school building, said that approval was not taken earlier to demolish the century-old school building and hence it was stopped and added that approval to demolish the historic building has to be taken from the Deputy Commissioner, who is also the Chairman of the Heritage Committee.

Dr. N. Rangaraju, Member of the Heritage Committee, said that following opposition from Heritage Committee experts and historians, the demolition of the building was stopped earlier and the Committee also undertook an inspection and gave a report to the Heritage Department to repair the damaged portions of the building, conserve the rare sculptures at the main entrance of the building, doors and windows and renovate the building in the same style. It is not known whether the report has reached the Deputy Commissioner or not, Rangaraju said and added that permission to repair of any building that is 100 years and above should be taken from the Heritage Committee. The demolition of the historic building without bringing it to the notice of the Deputy Commissioner is highly regrettable, he said.