Mysuru: One of the landmarks of Mysuru, Lansdowne Building , is decaying, thanks to the Mysuru City Corporation’s indecision on its fate.It is six years now that a part of the building caved in, killing four people and making it inaccessible to the public.Built as a commercial space by Mysuru’s administrators over a century ago, it has now become a poor shadow of its former glory. The MCC, its custodian, initiated a project to revive it but was stopped a year ago. The building is decaying and could sustain damage in this rainy season.The heritage structure was built close to Mysuru Palace in 1882 to commemorate the visit of the Viceroy and Governor-General of British India, Lord Lansdowne. Maharaja Chamaraja Wadiyar was ruling the erstwhile Mysuru State.After a part of the building collapsed in August 2012, a task force committee was formed by the government and restoration and conservation activity was taken up at a cost of Rs 3crore. When the process of restoration was halfway through, an arch at Devaraja Market collapsed on August 28, 2016, resulting in halting of the restoration process at Lansdowne Building.Former member of the Heritage Committee, professor N S Rangaraju told TOI, “After the collapse of an arch at the market premises, a task force was again set up which asked the government to demolish and reconstruct Lansdowne Building. But the task force had no heritage committee member or conservation specialist. There is no need for reconstruction as the building is intact. If the structure is restored using similar materials, it can be restored. It was negligence during restoration of a part of Devaraja Market which led to its collapse, and not the restoration activity.”Rangaraju added that the building has heritage charm. To people’s surprise, the partition walls of the building were constructed using bamboo and mud. If the building is demolished and reconstructed, Lansdowne Building will lose its value, he added.Vice-president of Lansdowne Building Traders’ Association MR Vijaykumar told TOI, “The shopkeepers have requested the authorities to take a look at the status of the building, but our plea has fallen on deaf ears. Lansdowne Building has been a lifeline of over 100 shopkeepers and advocates. The building has an emotional connect with us. Stakeholders have to be given priority rather than vested interests. Stakeholders, in association with the heritage committee, are fighting to restore the city’s heritage value.”LV Ramesh of Benaka Enterprises told TOI, “Shop no 21 on the ground floor of Lansdowne Bazar was gifted to our family by the Maharajas. Since then, we have been running our business here. We have a sense of emotional attachment with the ornamental structure. Though our plea to restore the building has gone unheard, we shall fight for it.”Historian Echanuru Kumar said Lansdowne Building is intact and with restoration and conservation, the structure will last another hundred years. Earlier, we had submitted a report regarding restoration activity to then DC D Randeep. In another 15 days, a detailed report will be submitted to the DC. The heritage committee is against demolition and reconstruction of Lansdowne Bazar, he said.MCC commissioner KH Jagadish told TOI that he would discuss the progress of Lansdowne Building with the authorities and then take decisions.LANSDOWNE FACTS* Ornamental structure abutting Mysuru Palace and Devaraja Market, constructed in 1892 to mark the visit of Lord Lansdowne* Sanitary engineer Standish Lee, who worked with PWD in Mysuru Kingdom, called for tenders for construction, but later, the government decided to build the structure* It is built using wood, iron and limestone, and around 200 girders are used for the structure* On the day of inauguration, it rained heavily in the city and Viceroy Lord Lansdowne had to formally inaugurate it from Jaganmohan Palace, where a luncheon was held for him* Before it was named after the Viceroy, the building was known as Range Bazar. It was a hot spot for freedom fighters and journalists. Sharada Vilas Primary School was set up on the first floor of the building* Noted Kannada poet DV Gundappa called Lansdowne Bazar the ‘Ornamental festoon of the city’

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