PM to open 108-ft Kempegowda statue on Nov 10

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will inaugurate the 108-foot statue of Bengaluru founder Kempegowda on November 10.

Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai, who took stock of the inauguration plans, directed officials to make necessary arrangements for the event. He said this while chairing a meeting of the Nadaprabhu Kempegowda Heritage Area Development Authority.

Sources said five lakh people across the state are likely to witness the event.

The government is spending Rs 85 crore on the Kempegowda statue that is made of bronze. It stands on a 23-acre space near the Kempegowda International Airport in Devanahalli, which will also have a heritage park dedicated to the 16th century chieftain.

Renowned sculptor and Padma Bhushan awardee Ram Vanji Sutar has designed the Kempegowda statue. Sutar also designed the 597-foot Statue of Unity in Gujarat and the 27-foot Mahatma Gandhi statue on the Vidhana Soudha premises.

Bommai also chaired a meeting of the Kudala Sangama Development Authority.

All works at Kudalasangama, the final resting place of 12th century social reformer Basavanna, must finish before January 2023, Bommai told officiails. The works include Basava International Centre building, a Digital Centre and the Kudala Sangama Commercial Complex.