DKS sets ball rolling on Disney-touch plan for KRS

An overview of the project site.

Global tenders for the Brindavan Gardens upgrading project at the Krishnaraja Sagar (KRS) dam, which is said to be on the lines of the famed Disneyland, will be called within a month’s time, Water Resources Minister D K Shivakumar announced on Saturday.

The minister, who inspected the project site, along with officials from the Mysuru and Mandya district administrations, Water Resources and Tourism departments, said that the detailed project report or the master plan for the proposed Rs 1,425-crore project had been submitted to the government.

Shivakumar said the DPR would be placed before the Cabinet for approval, following which global tenders would be floated.

Brushing aside concerns about building a massive tourism project so close to the dam, Shivakumar said neither the dam’s safety nor its security would be compromised with.

He said the project would come up on 336 acres of government land, in and around KRS. The Brindavan Gardens, spread over 74 acres, would be upgraded to international standard. He said the project would generate jobs for more than 25,000 people.

“There is no need for anybody to be alarmed - the Brindavan Gardens will not be touched. We are only upgrading it. The fountains installed are non-exotic and unattractive. The technology used at that time has become redundant. We want to instal attractive fountains like the ones in Los Angeles,” he added.

Stating that the project would be developed on a PPP model, Shivakumar said the government would not be parting with land.

“We are also not going to be spending a single rupee. The developer will invest in the project and the revenue earned will be shared with the government. We will also secure the project site by building a compound wall,” he said.

The minister said a committee would be constituted under his chairmanship to gather opinions from experts on the project. District incharge ministers from Mysuru region, representatives of Institution of Engineers and University of Mysore, historians and others will be part of the project.

Shivakumar said liquor baron and philanthropist late Hari Khoday's family members too would be part of the committee.

“Thanks to Khoday Foundation, which translocated the Venugopala Swamy temple near KRS, tourism in and around Mysuru has got a boost,” he said.

When asked if the statue of Cauvery, proposed by the Tourism department, would be built, Shivakumar said that a watch tower would be built instead. “Even if a statue comes up, we will not build it. The project developer will,” he added.

Tourism Minister Sa Ra Mahesh, however, maintained that the statue would be built. He said that the project cost might go up to Rs 5,000 crore.