The iconic warrior horse replica located at Master Canteen Square in the State capital city would not be shifted from the place, informed Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation (BMC) Commissioner Sanjay Singh on Tuesday.
A discussion in this regard has been held at the Government level, he said.
Notably, a decision regarding shifting of the replica due to the ongoing Smart Janpath project had earlier triggered a controversy. The decision was taken by the State Government to relocate it to Raj Bhavan Square.
The Bhubaneswar Smart City Limited (BSCL) had proposed relocation of the sculpture, a prominent landmark in the city, for a multi-modal hub project at the Bhubaneswar railway station.
Politicians and sculptors and various organisations had opposed the move questioning its justification.
The Bhubaneswar Development Authority (BDA) had erected the sandstone sculpture at Master Canteen Square in 1988. It was sculpted by late eminent sculptor Padma Vibhushan Raghunath Mohapatra.
The Utkal Sammilani expressed its happiness over the decision not to relocate the heritage replica. Sammilani Mancheswar branch president Dillip Dashsharma conveyed his gratefulness to the Chief Minister for reversing the earlier move.