BNPM provides Rs. 64 lakh funds under CSR; Archaeology Department renovates structure and hands it back to Police Department

Mysore/Mysuru: The renovated Band House at Nazarbad in the city was handed back to the Police Department on Thursday.

The Band House, which is over a century old heritage structure, was renovated under Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) funds of Rs. 64 lakh by Bank Note Paper Mill India Private Limited (BNPM). The works were executed by Department of Archaeology, Museums and Heritage, without compromising on the heritage significance of the building that previously housed City Police Commissioner’s Office, before it was shifted to the new building.

Managing Director of BNPM S. Thalikerappa formally handed over the building to City Police Commissioner B. Ramesh.

In his address, Thalikerappa said “I am grateful to the Police Department for giving an opportunity to renovate the building to conserve good old musical instruments of princely era, with the building also having its roots in Wadiyars (the erstwhile rulers of Mysore). BNPM always extends its cooperation towards the development works of society.”

City Top Cop Ramesh said “I am happy to note that the renovation works of Band House that was taken up during the tenure of my predecessor Dr. Chandragupta was completed and received during my tenure. In the coming days, we will convert it into a museum to preserve old musical instruments of Palace Band and those of Police Band including drums, flutes, pianos, saxophones and other instruments, along with a library of musical notations composed by renowned  composers from across the world and exhibit them for the benefit of general public and tourists.”

It will also depict the legacy of Karnataka Police Department, history, landmark occasions, personalities, contributions, he said adding that the museum is expected to be ready in six months with funds sought from State Government in its forthcoming budget and also under CSR from private parties.

Explaining the distinct features of the building, Commissioner of Archaeology Department A. Devaraju said “It is originally built in English style on a 9,000 square feet (150 ftx80 ft) area. The main rooms have a high gable roof with dormer windows. The rooms are surrounded by verandahs with lean to roof on wooden posts, with Mangalore tile pitched roof. However, the roof had got damaged over a period of years.”

K. Dharani Kumar, General Manager (F and A), BNPM, Anant Hegde, General Manager (Technical), BNPM, Abhay Kumar Mahapatro, General Manager (HR and Admin), Lakshmish Bai, Company Secretary and S.A. Raghavendra, Manager (Civil) were present.

DCP (Law and Order) M. Muthuraj, DCP (Crime and Traffic) S. Jahnavi, DCP (CAR) Maruthi, Mounted Police Commandant V. Shylendra, ACP (Palace) Chandrashekar,  ACP (Traffic) H. Parashuramappa and ACPs G.S. Gajendra Prasad, Shanthamallappa, C.K. Ashwath Narayan and S.N. Sandesh Kumar, Dy. Director of Archaeology, Museums and Heritage Department Manjula and others were present.