Yaduveer Krishnadatta Chamaraja Wadiyar, the scion of erstwhile Mysuru royal family, has taken to social media to express his displeasure over the Mysuru City Corporation’s decision to bring down the century-old Devaraja Market and Lansdowne building, the heritage marvels of Mysuru. He described the resolution passed recently as “extremely disturbing”.
In his first reaction to the MCC’s controversial resolution which has already come under strong criticism from heritage conservationists and the public, Mr. Wadiyar, in his Facebook post on Tuesday, argued that the MCC is an institution entrusted by the citizens of Mysuru for protecting civic integrity, a major part of which was inherited heritage.
He maintained that the resolution “goes against the very ideals that the MCC should protect.” “Furthermore, the consensus opinion by various concerned bodies is that these heritage structures can be restored and further be of utility to our city. Heritage as a principal allows for evolution, thus restoring these buildings, whilst making it viable for modern use, will maintain the integrity of the heritage, and this is easily achievable should the MCC only take advice and opinion of the concerned, qualified groups that have already expressed this sentiment,” Mr. Wadiyar stated in the post addressed to his friends.
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“Demolishing the building will not serve any purpose, rather we now have a lack of trust in the MCC’s capability to ensure protection and safeguarding of our heritage in Mysuru,” said Mr. Wadiyar, who is the Brand Ambassador for MCC’s Swachh Bharat initiatives.
He cautioned that Mysuru’s heritage tag would be in jeopardy if every structure was demolished, taking the easy way out. “It may be pertinent to note to mention that these structures are in the current condition only because of the negligence and disregard shown to them by concerned authorities,” he stated.
“Our heritage is the lifeblood of Mysore and protecting it is our forefront duty,” he said, suggesting handing over the restoration of the buildings to a reputable organisation that has the capability to restore these structures.
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A large number of Mr. Wadiyar’s friends on FB have supported his stand and argued that the heritage structures should be safeguarded for future generations.
Meanwhile, Minister in-charge of Mysuru district G.T. Deve Gowda said the decision to demolish the two buildings would be taken after a meeting with Chief Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy. The Minister met officials and elected representatives on Monday following criticism of the resolution of razing the structures both of which were over 100 years old.