`Horse Chariot Zone’ in 2 Kms Radius Around Mysore Palace

Special Correspondent
Daijiworld Media Network - Bangalore

Bangalore, Apr 21: In an attempt make Mysore a “green and heritage city,” horse-drawn chariots will be used as a mode of transport in two kms radius of Mysore Palace, according to Mister for Urban Transport S Suresh Kumar, who is also district in-charge Minister for Mysore. The Minister held an hour-long discussion on environmental initiatives to be taken up in Mysore City with a three-member delegation led by Richard Hyde, Deputy High Commissioner, British Embassy, on Wednesday and said a blue-print would be prepared soon to seek the heritage city tag for the City from United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) and for implementing several energy saving measures. The heritage tag would enable the city to get more funds from UNSESCO as well as from the Centre, he said.

DFID, a funding agency supported by the UK government, would provide all expertise and technical know-how for implement measures to safeguard Mysore City’s environment and make it as the green city, Hyde said.

A meeting of all civic agencies of the city would be called soon to  prepare the blue print to increase green cover as well as reduce  energy consumption. As a first attempt, the Minister told the  delegation that use of vehicles as a means of transport around two km  radius of Mysore Palace would be banned and the area would be declared  as a “horse chariot zone”. Horse chariots are being used at heritage  places in US and France and other countries, he said.  He said visitors would get a glimpse of the city’s captivating  heritage edifices on a horse chariot mode of transport, for which the  city is popular. Tourists can get a glimpse of the specially illuminated heritage structures on the decked-up tongas. In fact, the  tonga wallahs, who are a sort of “tourist guides”, encouraging the  visitors to take a joy ride on their carriages.

Kumar said the horse chariot zone plan would be implemented during  the coming Dasara festival. A popular mode of transport in the past,  tongas are on the brink of extinction, thanks to the rise in the  number of two-wheelers, autorickshaws and other vehicles. According to the Time magazine, the minister said Mysore ranked fourth in the world in attracting tourists. It is only during Dasara, there  will be demand for tongas with the rise in the number of tourists visiting Mysore to witness the Dasara festivities. Tongas are found only at a few locations in the city such as railway station and Agrahara Circle.

Other green initiatives included saving energy through adoption of solar systems, adoption of green measures in private and government buildings such as rainwater harvesting, designing buildings with more ventilations for reduction of electricity consumption, minimize the use of air-conditioners and plantation of more saplings to increase green cover.

Kumar said the Mysore City is the ideal city to take up green initiatives. Several projects could be taken up in the city under the Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission.