Sir,

Apropos the news item titled “To restore or raze? INTACH surveys Lansdowne Building” (Star of Mysore dated May 31, 2025), I, as an engineer, feel deeply saddened that this issue has now reached the Supreme Court   for a final verdict.

Mysuru’s engineers are renowned across India and abroad, having carved a distinguished reputation globally. We proudly inherit the legacy of Sir M. Visvesvaraya, the legendary engineer-statesman of international acclaim from Karnataka.

It is disheartening that a matter of whether to raze or restore a heritage structure has landed in Court — an issue that is fundamentally an engineering one. This reflects poorly on the competence, credibility and problem-solving ability of Mysuru’s engineering community.

By pushing the matter into the legal domain, we inadvertently undermine our own professional capacity. It raises the unfortunate impression that we are incapable of resolving a technical issue through engineering expertise.

It also appears that the Government, perhaps due to vested interests or administrative apathy, has chosen to wash its hands of the matter by referring it to the Court, thus conveniently postponing a decision that has been kept in cold storage for years under various pretexts.

—H.R. Bapu Satyanarayana

Saraswathipuram

31.5.2025