Rs 1,200 crore 125-feet statue of Goddess Cauvery aimed to boost tourism in State

The politics of statue has infected Karnataka as the JD(S)-Congress coalition Government is mulling a proposal to build 125-feet high statue of Mother Cauvery at world famous Brindavan Gardens, adjoining the Krishna Raja Sagara (KRS) that too will be developed on the lines of Disney land.

The whopping Rs 1,200 crore project includes increasing the height of the KRS dam to around a 12-storey building, while the Goddess Cauvery will stand atop a museum complex on the “amusement park” spread in 300-400 acres. However, the State Government will not spend any money on the public-private partnership project and the cost would be borne by the construction company.

According to Water Resources Minister DK Shivakumar, the proposal was tabled in the Assembly during the Budget Session and was passed in the Budget Bill. On Wednesday Shivakumar along with Tourism Minister SaRa Mahesh held a meeting with officials from the water resources and the tourism departments to discuss the blueprint. A certain fixed amount will be paid to the Government on yearly basis as revenue generated from the earning from tourists.

Shivakumar said, “It is not a statue per se, it is an amusement park. We want to showcase the heritage and culture of Mysore to rest of the country. It is still in planning stage and features can be changed.”

The BJP criticised the Government for calling it an amusement park. BJP Spokesperson S Prakash said, “We welcome the statue, but one can’t call it an amusement park. It’s an insult to Goddess Cauvery. Congress attacked BJP over statue of Unity, now their duplicity is seen, hypocrisy is in their DNA.”

At present, the Government earns Rs 6 crore from the KRS dam annually. After development, the income may rise up to Rs 300 crore, and the State Government’s share will be Rs 30 crore a year.

Chief Minister HD Kumaraswamy in his first-ever Budget presented on July 5 had proposed to bring back the grandeur of Brindavan Gardens and KRS dam by developing it on the model of America’s Disneyland with public-private participation. Global industrialists are eager to invest in the project, Kumaraswamy, who also holds Finance portfolio, had said in his Budget speech, while providing Rs 5 crore to prepare the detailed project report.