Corpus fund mooted for maintenance of heritage buildings in Mysuru
The Hindu
‘’Adopt a heritage building’’ scheme to be proposed
The district heritage committee which met here on Thursday discussed the feasibility of creating a corpus fund for maintenance of heritage buildings in Mysuru.
It will also explore the possibility of suggesting the corporates and NGOs to ‘’adopt a heritage building’’ to overcome the financial crunch of maintaining such listed properties. The meeting was attended by the members and chaired by Deputy Commissioner K.V .Rajendra.
The city has 131 notified heritage buildings and about 500 that are yet to be notified. Besides, the 131 structures are now in the process of being graded in the order of their architectural importance and historical importance.
But in the absence of funds and lack of maintenance the heritage structures in Mysuru are crumbling – the latest being the Maharani’s Science College and this has raised concerns over public safety as some of the heritage buildings are public offices and have significant footfall.
In the meeting the members deliberated on the feasibility of establishing such a fund as provided by the Zonal Regulations (Amendment) 2020 of the Karnataka Town and Country Planning Act, 1961.
The law clearly specifies that with a view to give monetary help for repairs of the enlisted, property, a separate fund shall be created through government grants or local authorities or public contributions, which shall be available to the local authority, who shall disburse the funds on the advice of the committee.
In addition, the law also provides for seeking voluntary contribution and states that the local authority may receive voluntary contributions towards the cost of maintaining any enlisted building or precinct, and shall manage such contributions for the purpose of preservation and conservation.