Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah assures of vision group for sustainable development of Mysuru

Mysuru: At a time when Mysuru is in a transition phase, with proposed expansion to Greater Mysuru, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah assured of a vision group, with experts and urban planners.

A vision group is required for a sustainable development of Mysuru to retain its beauty, green cover and heritage value, with a systematic plan with inputs from citizens and environmentalists.

Even as Nalwadi Krishnaraja Wadiyar developed Mysuru with a vision, the CM being a Mysurean himself, would form a vision group to develop Mysuru.

Interacting with DH, during his Mysuru city rounds on Thursday, he assured of allotting a special package for the conservation, restoration and maintenance of about 600 heritage structures of Mysuru, including Devaraja Market and Lansdowne Building.

Mysuru was declared as a heritage city in 2004, and there are over 600 structures with historical importance and heritage value. Heritage experts committee had asked the State government to declare 234 buildings as heritage structures in 2006. But, 129 are notified as heritage buildings by MUDA, besides 32 State protected monuments and seven Central protected monuments. The old compound of Bowring Hospital in Bengaluru, which fell due to rains, claimed lives of eight people. While most of the buildings are in a dilapidated condition, experts feel they should be restored and saved before they collapse and harm people. When asked about this, he assured of allotting a special package to protect the heritage buildings of Mysuru.

At a time when Mysuru is losing trees and green cover due to several development projects, Forest department lacks a tree authority and Mysuru City Corporation lacks a tree committee. When asked about losing 770 trees for the proposed Hunsur road and JLB road corridors, he said that he would check the details.

Unfufilled aspirations

Even though the CM has completed three years of his second term, many aspirations and expectations of Mysureans remain unfulfilled. Though Kannada got classical Kannada status in 2008, the Centre of Excellence for Studies in Classical Kannada (CESCK) in Mysuru is yet to get own land and building for autonomous status and expansion.

Rangayana still functions on half an acre backyard of Kalamandira; and the city lacks a cultural convention centre. Though Mysuru is a Yoga capital of the world, it lacks an international yoga convention centre.

Siddaramaiah always says that he believes in the philosophy of building equal society and social justice for all. But there are about 10,000 people in over 35 slums, migrant nomads by road sides in Mysuru with most not having even ration cards and Aadhar cards, to get benefits of guarantee schemes. They were not part of the socio economic survey taken up by the State Government recently. Experts suggest a survey of those who lack such basic documents to get them all such documents and Government benefits.

Siddaramaiah assured of considering the suggestions by experts.