BENGALURU: The Karnataka High Court on Friday stayed the state government's proposal to demolish Asiatic Building, which houses Janatha Bazaar in Kempe Gowda Road in the city. Hearing the petition filed by the Indian National Trust for Architectural and Cultural Heritage (INTACH), a division bench of Acting Chief Justice L Narayana Swamy and Justice P S Dinesh Kumar passed the interim order of stay for the proposed demolition.
INTACH, who sought directions to the state government to preserve Janatha Bazaar as a heritage building, stated that it was inaugurated on September 11, 1935 by erstwhile Yuvaraja of the State of Mysore, Sri Kantirava Narasimharaja Wodeyar, to house the Asiatic Company.
Upon expiry of the tenancy agreement between the PWD and the occupants of the Asiatic Building in 2014, PWD did not renew the agreement and issued eviction notices asking occupants to vacate the building. In the said notice, the Chief Engineer of the PWD made a proposal to the Principal Secretary of the department, proposing to build a 14-floor commercial complex and multi-storey parking complex in place of the building.