‘We need a robust Heritage Transferable Development Rights system like Mumbai’s to monetise unused development potential through FSI/FAR’
Sir,
This is with reference to the news reports titled ‘40-year lease of Jayalakshmi Vilas Mansion: Syndicate Member objects, sends legal notice to UoM VC’ (SOM dated Apr. 3) and ‘40-year lease of Jayalakshmi Vilas Mansion: Syndicate Member seeks transparency’ (SOM dated Apr. 5).
Reports indicate that the University of Mysore (UoM) is contemplating handing over the 121-year-old Jayalakshmi Vilas Mansion (JVM) to the Deccan Heritage Foundation (DHF) for a period of 40 years.
The DHF has been highly active in India, restoring and maintaining the Deccan’s built heritage. Founded by architectural historians Helen Philon and George Michell, the Foundation operates through registered entities in the UK, India and the USA.
With eminent personalities like former Ambassador Latha Reddy and former Chief Secretary of Karnataka Sudhakar Rao at the helm of DHF India, the organisation’s credentials are substantial.
It is understood that DHF has secured over Rs. 30 crore in funding and JVM restoration is already in its final stages. UoM is, in many ways, an accidental owner of this Royal Mansion. Ultimately, the identity of the maintainer is secondary to the preservation of the structure itself.
Sufficient legal safeguards can be built into a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to allay public apprehensions. This is not an isolated precedent; a decade ago, the UoM Professors’ Bungalows — once home to luminaries like Dr. Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan — were in shambles.
The Indian Heritage Cities Network (IHCN) restored them and continues to use the premises as its headquarters through a similar MoU.
Ideally, one would have preferred a Mysuru-based Foundation, comprising eminent local citizens and government nominees, to oversee our city’s heritage properties.
About two years ago, following my struggles to save Devaraja Market and Lansdowne Building, I proposed the formation of a “Mysore Heritage Foundation” to a third-generation scion of a prominent local business group.
I believed such a leadership could effectively mobilise Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) funds. Unfortunately, that vision did not materialise, yet the dire need for such a localised organisation remains.
As citizens, we must take pride in our heritage, but pride must be backed by policy. A Heritage Cess by the Mysuru City Corporation (MCC) should be channelled effectively.
It is a glaring anachronism to expect the maintenance of a heritage property while the Corporation levies vacant land tax on the same. We need a robust Heritage TDR (Transferable Development Rights) system, similar to Mumbai’s, to monetise unused development potential through FSI/FAR.
Floor Space Index (FSI) or Floor Area Ratio (FAR) define the maximum permissible built-up area on a piece of land, representing the ratio of total floor area to the total plot area.
Furthermore, the MCC should provide property tax exemptions to owners of listed or protected historical structures.
I hope Star of Mysore takes the lead in championing these systemic changes.
– Raja Chandra, Bengaluru, 5.4.2026
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This post was published on April 7, 2026 5:55 pm