Intach to restore 111-year-old Fort High School

The Bengaluru chapter of Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage (Intach) will restore the 111-year-old Fort High School in Chamarajpet to its original style and design.

Yaduveer Krishnadatta Chamaraja Wadiyar, scion of Mysuru Royal family, laid the foundation stone for the work on Thursday and planted a sapling.

Intach raised funds for the project -Estimated to cost Rs 2.5 crore- from private entities. It has also obtained permission for the building work from the Department of Public Instructions. The organisation has set a 14-month deadline to complete the work, taken up as part of the World Heritage Day observed on March 18.

Large part of the funds for the project has come from Bengaluru- based Mineral Enterprises Limited, whose chairman Basant Poddar said he is supporting the efforts. “We are trustees of the wealth we have. We must use it in the most appropriate manner so that it benefits the city. So we are not donating, we are sharing,” said K C Venugopal, a former Chamarajpet resident who contributed to the rebuilding work.

Wadiyar said it was a bitter-sweet experience for him. While he was sad to see the current condition of the school, he was also happy that the school will be restored to its old glory soon.