Summary:
Mysuru: With the river Cauvery in spate heritage lovers fear Srirangapatna’s Wellesley Bridge could go the way of Lushington Bridge in Kollegal. Had the authorities concerned taken steps to restore the bridge and had they given it the attention and care it needed, the bridge would have been saved.”Rangaraju said Wellesley Bridge must be conserved since it “is of immense historical significance”. Lushington Bridge was washed away recently and heritage lovers are demanding that the state government take steps to preserve Wellesley Bridge, which dates back to early 1800s.Aghast over Lushington Bridge being washed away, Prof N S Rangaraju, member of the heritage committee, told TOI, “We are saddened that the Lushington Bridge was washed away due to heavy inflow of water. The over two-century-old bridge was named after the then governor, General Marquis of Wellesley.”In those days, Rangaraju said, the bridge linked Mysuru and Bengaluru and it connected Bengaluru and Kodagu via Mysuru. Should that happen, it will be the first bridge in Karnataka to be declared a monument..