Heritage panel member and convenor of INTACH Mysuru, N.S. Rangaraju expressed surprise that officials in Mysuru have not taken cognisance of a report from an expert from IIT Madras that stated that Devaraja Market could be conserved.
Adding to the ongoing debate in the city on the impending demolition of the structure, Dr. Rangaraju said MCC officials and the committee constituted by the Deputy Commissioner had ignored the views of Arun Menon, Convener, National Advisory Board, National Centre for Safety of Heritage Structures, IIT Madras. He had visited Mysuru and studied the structure and submitted a report in 2016.
The report noted that most of the Devaraja Market complex was in a fairly good state of conservation, especially the vaulted portions of the structures. However, it had pointed out that there were certain portions in a precarious condition. The overall drift of the report was that Devaraja Market and Lansdowne building could definitely be rehabilitated, and restored.
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Technical recommendations included establishing strength of the masonry and assessing the role of previous interventions and mapping existing distress. It also called for reviewing existing conservation practices, development and implementation of structural audit protocols to guarantee the structural health of heritage structures.
But those batting for the demolition of the market have ignored the report, said Dr. Rangaraju.