A SLICE OF HERITAGE: A file picture of D. Banumaiah's College building that is among the 15 structures to be renovated. — PHOTO: M.A. SRiRAM

MYSORE: A slice of heritage of Mysore, incorporating 15 classical structures, will get a facelift and their precincts will be restored and preserved under the Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission (JNNURM) in the next few years.

The project is estimated to cost about Rs. 20 crore and the detailed project report would be prepared by HUDCO and submitted to the Centre by the end of July.

A draft Heritage Management Plan would be in place before the end of May and the key stakeholders would meet to thrash out various issues on heritage regulations in the management of the restored structures. The HUDCO is working in tandem with the Mysore-based conservation architects Ravi Gundu Rao and Associates.

The 15 structures identified for restoration are Devaraja Market (Rs. 5 crore), Seetha Vilas Shraddanand Dharma Shala (Rs. 1.2 crore), Lansdowne Building and its surroundings (Rs. 5 crore), Vani Vilas Market (Rs. 1 crore), Chamarajendra Technical Institute (Rs. 1.15 crore), Maharani's Government Women's Science College (Rs. 70 lakh), Maharani's Junior College (Rs. 40 lakh), Krishnarajendra (Eye) Hospital (Rs. 30 lakh), Government Boy's High School at Lakshmipuram (Rs. 35 lakh), K.R. Hospital (Rs. 1.5 crore), Ayurvedic College (Rs. 70 lakh), Maharaja Sanskrit Pathashala (Rs. 70 lakh), Banumaiah High School (Rs. 60 lakh), beautification of Hardinge Circle and Kuppanna Park (Rs. 95 lakh) and the beautification of Duffering Clock Tower in front of the Devaraja Market (Rs. 45 lakh).

A crucial meeting of key stakeholders comprising Heritage Commissioner A.V. Machaknur, the former Director-General of Archaeological Survey of India M.S. Nagaraja Rao, members of the Mysore Area Heritage Task Force Maj. Gen (retd.) Sudhir Vombatkere, N.S. Rangaraju of the University of Mysore, Deputy Director of Archaeology, Museum and Heritage, Gayatri, Deputy Commissioner S. Selvakumar, and corporation Commissioner K.N. Chandrashekar was held here on Tuesday. Assistant Chief (Projects) HUDCO S. Muralidharan made a presentation with photographs, graphs and sketches about the heritage structures and the conservation inputs required for their restoration.

Core area development

The detailed project report would include plan for management and development of core area and precincts in consonance with the heritage character of the local situation and would touch upon factors affecting the core area. It would study the existing City Development Plan and incorporate heritage regulations and suggest modifications where necessary in the upkeep of the heritage core area.

Nagajara Rao and others pointed out that the core heritage area of the city — as evident in the selection of 15 buildings for restoration — covered a large area of the city and hence expressed apprehensions over implementing heritage regulations on such a vast region. The heritage buildings listed above were located on J.L.B. Road, New Sayyaji Rao Road, Narayan Shastry Road, Chamaraja Double Road and Harshavardhana Road and were interspersed with modern structures.

A cluster of sites

Thus the core heritage area comprised a cluster of heritage structures within a small area while the peripheral heritage zone was spread beyond the core area and this made it easier to implement the heritage regulations.

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