Only Siddaramaiah can save Lalitha Mahal
The Karnataka Cabinet has decided to invite private players for the repair, restoration and management of Lalitha Mahal Palace Hotel. A long-awaited decision, it raises hopes that this grand heritage structure may finally receive the care it deserves.
Many Mysureans feared that by the time our Government finally decides to completely lease or restore Lalitha Mahal Palace, it will no longer be worthy of restoration and instead may need reconstruction.
This fear is not unfounded, considering what has happened to a couple of heritage structures in Mysuru after the Government waited too long — they collapsed.
In 2012, the 130-year-old Lansdowne Building collapsed. In 2016, a part of the 136-year-old Devaraja Market collapsed. In 2022, a portion of the 95-year-old Vani Vilas Market and a part of the 106-year-old Maharani’s College collapsed. We feared Lalitha Mahal Palace was next.
But will this new hope of restoration truly come to fruition? The wait has been on since 2000 when late Union Minister Arun Jaitley, then the Disinvestment Minister, wanted to give up Lalitha Mahal Palace, which came under ITDC (India Tourism Development Corporation). It didn’t happen.
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