A view of the Devaraja Market in Mysore. — PHOTO: M.A. SRIRAM

MYSORE: A 20-member team from the Institution of Engineers, Mysore chapter, visited the Devaraja Market here on Sunday to assess the state of the prominent landmark, which is in a dilapidated condition.

The visit followed a request by the Mysore City Corporation (MCC), which sought a report from a technical team in its efforts to restore the heritage structure and include it for renovation with funding from the Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission (JNNURM).

Sunday's visit led to a preliminary assessment of the over 100-year-old heritage building, a portion of which had collapsed recently. It was decided to constitute a separate panel headed by Shakibur Rehman of the S.J. College of Engineering and submit its recommendations. The report and the recommendations will be submitted to the corporation authorities and traders and the public will be taken into confidence.

The structure is crumbling owing to lack of maintenance.

A portion of the roof caved in last year and experts from the Torsteel Research Foundation had assessed the damage and expressed confidence that the structure could be restored.

Similar studies were conducted by other conservation experts based in the city who proposed the idea of adopting traditional methods of conservation in a bid to maintain the original profile of the structure. There was a general consensus that the century-old Devaraja Market could be restored and conserved for posterity.

The market has witnessed three major fires that destroyed several shops. The gradual deterioration of the structure is evident through cracks in the walls.

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