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Time to throw light on Bengaluru's power heritage

Last Updated 14 July 2021, 14:02 IST

One of the first cities to get power supply for domestic use, Bengaluru is now home to several buildings which were built as substations established years after the city received power in 1905 to tell the tales of the then Mysore State though their heritage value is yet to be recognised by the government.

When Prince and Princess of Wales (George V and Queen Mary) visited Mysore State back in 1905-06, they were surprised by the farsightedness of the then Mysore Government, which "used part of the surplus funds in its treasury" to establish a "great power station" and supplied electricity to Bengaluru. "This bold and rather speculative enterprise could hardly have been initiated by a British province which has no money save what it raises by taxation," noted Sidney Low, who chronicled the visit.

G L Swamy, a compiler at Tourist Bureau of the Mysore, attributed the origin, growth, and development of electricity in the state to Dewan K Seshadri Iyer, who deputed Captain A J De Lotbineiere, then Deputy Chief Engineer of Mysore, to visit Europe and America to obtain necessary information on the venture.

Interestingly, western accounts call De Lotbineiere, who rose to the rank of major, as the mastermind whose "western training and imagination" benefitted Mysore state.

While De Lotbieniere helped in bringing the knowledge as well as the people to get the work done, there was a new challenge. Charles M Pepper, who wrote about "Electricity: The New Force in Old Lands"

Though the Cauvery course was favourable for harnessing electricity, "the territorial jurisdiction was an impediment since from just about 10 miles up from Sivanasamudram falls, the right half of the river course belongs to Madras Government".

The "Mysore Durbar", however, realised the work's importance and purchased the "rights of utilisation of water". By 1902, the Kolar Gold Fields was getting electricity.
Gajanana Sharma, author of 'Belakaitu Karnataka' which deals with the history of electricity in the state, said it is time to recognise the value of the buildings. "Power was brought to

Bengaluru on August 5, 1905. Since then we have come a long way. A substation built near Victoria Hospital has already disappeared with no explanation. That should not happen to our heritage structures," he said.

There are three other substations that are still standing, the B station at MG Road built in 1907, B station at Cantonment station built during the same time, and the C station at Anand Rao Circle.

Meera Iyer of INTACH said the government can showcase the heritage value of the structure in simple and effective steps. "Providing information on its heritage value is the first step. Simple signboards and plaques with historical information will help people realise its value. Come evening, all the malls in the city light up but heritage buildings are drowned in the darkness. We have to take up simple measures first, which will go a long way in preserving heritage," she said.

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(Published 06 August 2020, 17:45 IST)

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