Replica of seven wonders at exhibition grounds

Replicas of seven wonders of the world will be installed at the Exhibition Grounds, in the city, by the Karnataka Exhibition Authority (KEA).

The project is expected to be taken up at a cost of Rs 2 crore and would be completed ahead of next Dasara, said KEA Chairman R Murthy, here, on Thursday. Addressing a press meet, he said, two contractors have already come forward to execute the project, which will be a major attraction at the Grounds.

Chief Minister Siddaramaiah will lay the foundation stone for five developmental works planned at the Grounds, at a cost of Rs 5 crore, on June 12, he said.

He said, 150 stalls at the Grounds, which are in a dilapidated state will be demolished and 145 new stalls will be built. Works on it will be taken up by the Karnataka Rural           Infrastructure Development Limited.

The stalls too will be completed by Dasara and generate an additional revenue of Rs 20 lakh, he said.

Facelift
The main entrance of the Exhibition Grounds will get a facelift, as it has not been effective enough to attract people. Therefore, landscaping will be done at the main gate at a cost of Rs 1 crore, he said.

Roads inside the Grounds, 1,188 meters in length, are in poor shape. It has been decided to lay concrete roads inside the premises at a cost of Rs 1.3 crore. Under the first phase, road works worth Rs 60 lakh will be taken up, he said.

Apart from the roads, Rs 1 crore will be spent for a rainwater harvesting unit. Various fountains inside the Grounds require 12 lakh litres of water every fortnight. So, the unit, which will be maintained by the National Institute of Engineering, would help us achieve self-sufficiency in water, Murthy said.

To a question, he said, the stalls will open at the Grounds during Dasara on time. Global tender process for opening stalls during Dasara will be completed by August, he said.
Besides the said projects, there are plans to construct an overhead tank with one lakh litre capacity and a 500 MW solar unit, he said.
KEA has also urged the District Administration to shift the exhibitions held at Maharaja’s College Grounds, and Scouts and Guides Grounds to the Exhibition Grounds, he said.