Mysuru: Two weeks ahead of the Dasara celebrations, the Mysuru Palace Board has undertaken the replacement of 18,000 damaged electric bulbs of the iconic Mysuru Palace to prepare to illuminate it. Illumination of the palace is one of the major attractions of the Dasara celebrations this year.A team of 12 members of the board is involved in the replacement of bulbs. They are set to complete the work before the inauguration of the festival, which will be held for 11 days this year from Sept 22 to Oct 2.They are replacing the damaged bulbs, including those in the main building, inside the palace, and at the Balarama, Varaha, and Jayamarthanda gates, as well as in the temples and premises. They have completed fixing the hanging lamps, wiring, and other works. The board has purchased 20,000 incandescent bulbs after placing orders with a New Delhi-based company to replace the damaged bulbs.Until recently, the board used 20-watt lamps produced by local manufacturer Mysore Lamps bulbs. Now, the authorities are using incandescent bulbs after purchasing them from Delhi, Hyderabad, and several other places. They are now using 15-watt capacity bulbs.The board’s electrical engineer, Satish, said that its staff already completed repair works and is now taking up the work of replacing all the damaged bulbs after identifying them over the last week. It will complete all the works within the set deadline, he said. It also has kept transformers ready for the illumination of the Mysuru Palace.Deputy director of the board TS Subramanya said that all repair and replacement of damaged bulbs, including painting and other works of the palace, were taken up simultaneously, completing the work on a war footing. Last year, it replaced 20,000 damaged bulbs, but now it has been reduced to 18,000 bulbs this year, he said.
