Filmmaker M.S. Sathyu said that Mysuru’s heritage should be protected and classical structures, such as Devaraja Market and Lansdowne Building, should not be demolished.
“We should try to protect these structures with some repairs. There are no other places that have so many vintage buildings in one place,” he said, during the closing ceremony of the ninth edition of the Bengaluru International Film Festival (BIFFes) here on Thursday evening.
Mr. Sathyu, a native of Mysuru, one of the jury members, was in the city with other members of the panel to announce the best film award.
A technical committee had recommended the demolition of the century-old market building to facilitate reconstruction after one of the portions of the structure collapsed during renovation. The repair work has been halted since.
The renovation of Lansdowne Building, another century-old structure, was also halted soon after the market incident. This building has been out of bounds to its tenants for over four years after a portion collapsed on August 25, 2012, killing four persons.
The expert committee had also recommended razing Lansdowne Building since it had become weak and could not withstand any more repairs, according to MCC.
Tenants of Devaraja Market had opposed the demolition and demanded a renovation.
