Seek support of Mysore royal family; Public meeting in a day or two
Mysuru: The Mysuru District Heritage Committee’s recent decision to demolish and reconstruct the heritage Devaraja Market and Lansdowne Building in ‘heritage-like style’ has not gone down well with the stakeholders like tenants of Devaraja Market and heritage experts.
They have now reached out to the erstwhile Mysore royal family that has been vocal against the destruction of heritage structures in the name of development. A public meeting will be held under the leadership of members of the royal family within a day or two, said Devaraja Market Tenants Association President Pailwan Mahadev. There are over 1,200 tenants at Devaraja Market.
Yesterday, Mahadev and other stakeholders including Member of the Expert Committee for Development and Protection of Mysore Heritage Region and Convenor of INTACH (Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage) Prof. N.S. Rangaraju met the titular head of Mysore royal family Yaduveer Krishnadatta Chamaraja Wadiyar at the private residential wing of Mysore Palace and discussed the issue and sought the family’s support.
Eye on fat commission
Speaking to reporters after the meeting, Pailwan Mahadev said that they would not allow the demolition. “The Mysuru City Corporation (MCC) has already passed a resolution to demolish the heritage structures and following the resolution, the State Government has made up its mind to demolish the buildings. Unfortunately, even the Heritage Committee, which is supposed to protect the legacy, has supported this view,” he said.
“The demolition and construction have been given a go ahead with an eye on the fat commission that the elected representatives and officers will get once the new structure comes up. The building is strong and sturdy and only a part of the Devaraja Market has collapsed and it can easily be restored. Sadly, the Government is trying to demolish a good building bowing to the pressure of commission-seeking people,” he alleged.
Heritage Committee toed MCC line
“The Heritage Committee just acted as a puppet in all this and gave its approval to comply with the procedures required to go ahead with the demolition. This decision has threatened our livelihood and we are against this and will go to any extent to protect the heritage,” Mahadev said and added that Yaduveer was apprised of all the happenings and his support was sought.
Reconstruction does not mean that the heritage charm is retained. If the heritage buildings conceptualised and constructed by the Wadiyars are demolished and reconstructed, what is the point in calling Mysuru a heritage city, he questioned.
“Thousands of people come to the Devaraja Market every day and many come there just to see the heritage structure and get a feel of it. We requested the royal family members to join the movement against the demolition. Yaduveer has agreed to be a part of the meeting and told us that he would soon release the opinion of the royal family on the demolition,” he revealed.
On Chamaraja MLA L. Nagendra’s statement that alternative arrangements will be made for the traders till a new building is constructed, Mahadev said, “We saw what these people did when the Devaraja Market was engulfed in fire. Tenants who suffered losses were left to fend for themselves despite tall promises. No one came to their rescue. Moreover, it is about conservation of a heritage structure and not about rehabilitation.”
This post was published on April 18, 2022 6:44 pm