JOIN US3-member tech committee to decide future
In the wake of roof collapse at historic Lansdowne building that claimed four lives in the city on Saturday, it has been decided to form a three-member experts committee to decide over the future of the structure; either to restore or demolish to raise a new structure in the place.
Presiding over a meeting of tenants of Lansdowne and officers concerned at the office of deputy commissioner here on Sunday, medical education and district in-charge minister S A Ramdas announced that a three-member technical committee of C R Vishwanath of Civil Aid Engineering, Bangalore, civil engineering expert and vice-principal of Sri Jayachamarajendra College of Engineering (SJCE) Syed Shakib-Ur-Rehman and UNESCO representative in the city will be constituted.
The committee will be bound to prepare a report within the deadline of one week. Till then the area (Lansdowne building) will be prohibited area not allowing any activities to resume.
Following a request from a trader that there are perishable commodities and important documents in the building, the minister agreed to shift the required materials under the close monitoring of fire and police personnel.
The minister clarified that the decisions have been taken in the interest of the tenants again, whose life will be under threat. He regretted that, had stringent measures been taken earlier, the mishap wouldn’t have occurred.
Earlier, R Murthy president of Lansdowne Building Tenants Association said, when the balcony of the building was found weak, the area was blocked. During the tenure of then commissioner of city municipality (now MCC) Vasudevaiah in the mid 80’s, the traders had opposed the proposal to replace the doors with shutters.
When fire erupted at Devaraja Market destroying a few shops in the year 1986, F K Irani an industrialist of Ideal Jawa fame had taken over the mantle of repairing the same, recalled Murthy highlighting the repair works completed on warfooting.
Advocate and tenant M C Basavaraj urged the minister to form an expert committee and go ahead only after eliciting their opinions. Take measures for immediate alternate arrangements.
MLC Go Madhusudhan said a report on the status of all heritage buildings in the city should be prepared. Taking cue of Jaipur in Rajasthan State also a heritage city where good old buildings are rebuilt without damaging existing design, the authorities should take a call rebuilding Lansdowne according to the existing design.
Narasimharaja MLA Tanveer Sait said as recommended by a report in the year 1996, MCC
should have repaired the shops at the cost of Rs 2,000 for each.
Deputy commissioner P S Vastrad, MCC commissioner M R Ravi, police commissioner K L
Sudheer and others were present.