UoM halts work on lift at Crawford Hall following outrage

Mysuru: The University of Mysore (UoM) on Wednesday stopped work to install a lift at Crawford Hall, its headquarters, which is a heritage property.
It stated that it will approach the heritage panel about the project and will act accordingly even as it asserted that it will not damage the vintage beauty. This follows objections raised by heritage lovers as the a lift would have marred the beauty of the building.
The two-storey structure built in 1947 is one of the vintage structures dotting the heritage road of Krishnaraja Boulevard.
The UoM, until now, had not meddled with the beauty of any heritaghe structure in its possession.
Following a query from TOI, heritage panel member N S Rangaraju, a retired UOM professor, visited the spot on Wednesday evening and met the authorities. He said that registrar M Shivappa accompanied him when he did the spot assessment. The panel, he said, has not given permission for the lift. "UOM authorities told me that they will stop the project and approach us. They have stated that the varsity will not fiddle with the heritage beauty of the property," he added
What has upset heritage lovers is that the building has just two floors, and so a lift is totally unnecessary.
Vice-chancellor G Hemantha Kumar says senior citizens are finding it difficult to reach the offices on the first floor. "If the committee asks us to stop the work, we will stop. If they suggest any modifications, we will follow their suggestions," he said.
The UoM authorities informed TOI that remedial measures will be taken at the earliest, and that the beauty of the structure will not be marred. They said they will have a relook and address the concerns.