Mysore/Mysuru: A meeting of the Heritage Conservation Committee took place under the Chairmanship of Mysuru Deputy Commissioner Dr. Bagadi Gautham at his office yesterday. This is a Committee formed by the State Government as per the 2020 Zonal Regulation and it was its third meeting.

Mysuru City Corporation Commissioner G. Lakshmikantha Reddy, Mysuru Urban Development Authority (MUDA) Commissioner Dr. D.B. Natesh, Commissioner of Archaeology, Museums and Heritage Department B.R. Poornima, Architect Sharatchandra, Structural Engineer Dr. Syed Shakeeb-ur-Rehman, Member of the Expert Committee for Development and Protection of Mysore Heritage Region and Convenor, INTACH (Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage) Prof. N.S. Rangaraju attended.

 Others in the meeting were Environmentalist Prof. K.S. Lokesh, Naturalist Dr. N.B. Ramachandra, Artist Prof. Vijaya Rao, Srihari from Non-Government Organisation, additional members G. Malleshappa, A.S. Dharmendra Kumar and Shelvapillai Iyengar.

 The meeting assumes significance as there are more than 200 heritage structures in Mysuru city and most of them are in danger of collapsing due to dilapidation and gross neglect. The leaking Jayalakshmi Vilas Mansion whose ceiling has caved in at two places, Devaraja Market and Lansdowne Building where the MCC is ready to demolish and reconstruction stand as examples.

 Even the Chamundi Hill and the Sri Chamundeshwari Temple where there is unbridled urbanisation abetted by the political leadership under the guise of development will come under the Committee’s purview and without its sanction, no development can take place. Apart from the 200 notified heritage structures, an additional 250 to 300 structures were added to the heritage list but they are yet to be notified.