Mysuru: Home Minister G Parameshwara on Monday visited Devaraja Market, a portion of which collapsed on Sunday evening. The minister during his visit said that the building might be completely demolished instead of renovating.
Speaking after inspecting the 132-year-old building, Parameshwar said, “Devaraja Market, being a heritage building in the city, was undergoing renovation work at a cost of Rs 9 crore. After this incident, we are thinking to stop the renovation work. Keeping people interests in mind, we are planning to completely demolish the building and construct a new one”.
During the minister’s visit, technical experts headed by Mayor B L Bhyrappa, MUDA and corporation in-charge Commissioner M Mahesh and Heritage department experts were asked to study the structure and submit a report within a week. After the incident, the movement of public has been restricted. The Congress office at Devaraja market will also be shifted soon. The authorities of MCC began the demolition work on Monday morning.
Bhyrappa mentioned that the building is in dilapidated condition and hence it should be completed demolished instead of taking up renovation work. Deputy Commissioner D Randeep also visited the spot and took stock of the situation. Public who were at the spot expressed that it is a miracle that no causalities were reported. If this had happened during Dasara which is round the corner, this would have been a big disaster as Sayyaji Rao road is one of the main routes for the Dasara procession.
It can be brought to light that in August 2012, a portion of the Lansdowne Building – around 125-years-old, collapsed killing four people.
