108 ft statue of Kempegowda to be unveiled by PM Modi finds place in 'World Book of Records'
Bengaluru, Nov 9: The 108 feet statue of Nadaprabhu Kempegowda, which Prime Minister Narendra Modi will unveil on Friday is the "first and tallest bronze statue of a founder of a city", as per 'World Book of Records'.
Called the "Statue of Prosperity", it has been built to commemorate the contribution of Kempegowda, the founder of the city, towards the growth of Bengaluru.
"A matter of pride for us that the Statue of Prosperity is the first and tallest bronze statue of a founder of a city as per World Book of Records. An apt tribute to Bengaluru's founder Kempegowda. Standing at 108 ft, it symbolises his vision of a Global City," Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai tweeted along with a certificate from 'World Book of Records' on Wednesday.
The statue weighing 220 tonne has been installed at the Kempegowda International Airport here. It has a sword weighing 4 tonne.
The project, besides the statue, has a heritage theme park in an area covering 23 acres dedicated to the 16th century chieftain, together costing about Rs 84 crore to the government.
Kempegowda, a feudatory ruler under the erstwhile Vijayanagara Empire founded Bengaluru in 1537. He is revered, especially by the Vokkaliga community that is dominant in Old Mysuru and other parts of southern Karnataka.
Renowned sculptor and Padma Bhushan awardee Ram Vanji Sutar has designed the statue. Sutar had built the 'Statue of Unity' in Gujarat and the statue of Mahatma Gandhi in Bengaluru's Vidhana Soudha.
As a precursor to the unveiling, 'Mruthike' (sacred mud) was collected from over 22,000 locations across the state, which was mixed symbolically with the mud beneath one of the four towers of the statue today.
Twenty one special vehicles collected the sacred mud, including villages, towns and cities during the last two weeks.
ಬೆಂಗಳೂರು ನಿರ್ಮಾತೃ ನಾಡಪ್ರಭು ಕೆಂಪೇಗೌಡರ "ಪ್ರಗತಿಯ ಪ್ರತಿಮೆ"ಯು ವರ್ಲ್ಡ್ ಬುಕ್ ಆಫ್ ರೆಕಾರ್ಡ್ಸ್ ಅನುಸಾರ ಮೊದಲ ಹಾಗೂ ಅತ್ಯಂತ ಎತ್ತರದ ಕಂಚಿನ ಪ್ರತಿಮೆ ಎಂಬುದು ನಮಗೆ ಹೆಮ್ಮೆಯ ವಿಷಯ.108 ಅಡಿಯ ಈ ಪ್ರತಿಮೆ ಕೆಂಪೇಗೌಡರ ದೂರದೃಷ್ಟಿಯ ಬೆಂಗಳೂರನ್ನು ಬಿಂಬಿಸುತ್ತದೆ.#ಪ್ರಗತಿಯಪ್ರತಿಮೆ #ಬನ್ನಿನಾಡಕಟ್ಟೋಣ pic.twitter.com/sFERth0Xwv
— Basavaraj S Bommai (@BSBommai) November 9, 2022
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
Chhattisgarh assembly: Cong MLAs suspended after din over ED raids on Baghel's home
_vb_93.jpeg)
Raipur (PTI): Several Congress MLAs were suspended from the Chhattisgarh assembly on Monday after they trooped into its well and shouted slogans against the ruling BJP over the ED's raids on the premises of former Chhattisgarh chief minister Bhupesh Baghel.
The Enforcement Directorate on Monday raided the premises of Baghel as part of a money laundering investigation against his son in the alleged liquor scam case, official sources said.
The premises of Bhupesh Baghel's son-- Chaitanya Baghel-- in Bhillai (Durg district), an alleged close associate of Chaitanya Baghel, Laxmi Narayan Bansal alias Pappu Bansal, and some others were also being searched under provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), the sources said.
Chaitanya Baghel shares the Bhillai accommodation with his father and hence the premises was being covered. He (Chaitanya Baghel) is suspected to the "recipient" of the proceeds of crime of the liquor scam, they said.
About 14-15 premises are being raided in the state, they said.
As the House assembled for the day's business, Congress legislators disrupted the Question Hour and raised the issue of the ED's raid.
They claimed that those questioning the alleged corruption in the government were being targeted using the central agency.
Congress members, including former minister Umesh Patel, started raising slogans against the ruling BJP and claimed the democracy was being "murdered".
Speaker Raman Singh asked members of the main opposition party to raise their issues in the Zero Hour, citing the importance of Question Hour, but the Congress legislators continued shouting slogans.
The Congress MLAs trooped into the well of the House while shouting slogans, and were automatically suspended, as per the assembly rules.
Bhupesh Baghel was not present in the House.
The speaker announced the suspension of various Congress members and asked them to go outside the House.
However, Congress members remained in the well and continued to raise slogans against the ruling party. They later left the House.
The Enforcement Directorate earlier said the Chhattisgarh liquor "scam" resulted in "massive loss" to the state exchequer and filled the pockets of the beneficiaries of a liquor syndicate with more than Rs 2,100 crore of proceeds of crime.
The ED had arrested former minister and Congress leader Kawasi Lakhma in this case in January apart from Anwar Dhebar, the elder brother of Raipur Mayor and Congress leader Aijaz Dhebar, former IAS officer Anil Tuteja, Indian Telecom Service (ITS) officer Arunpati Tripathi and some others as part of this investigation.
The alleged liquor scam in the central Indian state, as per the ED, was orchestrated between 2019 and 2022 when Chhattisgarh was ruled by a Congress government led by CM Bhupesh Baghel.
Assets of about Rs 205 crore of various accused have been attached by the agency as part of this investigation till now.
_vb_57.jpeg)