Campaign to collect "sacred" mud and water from K'taka ahead of unveiling of Kempegowda statue
Bengaluru, Sep 1: Ahead of the grand unveiling of 108-feet-tall bronze statue of Nadaprabhu Kempegowda, the founder of Bengaluru city, at the International Airport here, Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai on Thursday launched a unique campaign of collecting the "sacred" mud and water from all the villages of the state.
The mud and water collected will be used in the Kempegowda Theme Park, which will be developed at the premises of the Airport, for which the ground breaking ceremony was organised today.
The government plans to unveil the statue on November 1, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi as the Chief Guest for the event.
"The government is spending Rs 84 crores to erect Kempegowda statue and to develop Theme Park at the airport. The statue has been named as the 'Statue of Prosperity' to symbolise Kempegowda's vision of development," Bommai said.
He said his state government will also take measures to install a Kempegowda statue on the premises of Vidhana Soudha, the seat of state legislature and secretariat here at a cost of Rs 50 crore, and a similar one will be installed at Lalbagh, a botanical garden here too.
This campaign of collecting mud and water will include all the sections of society and will be a big step towards building Nava Karnataka (New Karnataka) and this symbolises the commitment of the government towards inclusive development, he added.
Minister C N Ashwath Narayan who is the Vice President of Kempegowda Heritage Places Development Authority said, this campaign will be held for 45 days prior to the dedication of the 108-feet statue.
During the campaign, the sacred mud and water will be collected from villages in all the 31 districts, especially from Lakes, Ponds and Rivers, he said, adding that the government is intending to unveil the statue on November 1st, however, the date will be finalized depending on the schedule of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Noting that as part of the campaign a vehicle mounted with an LED screen will ply in each district of the state, Narayan said this will air the messages of great personalities and a documentary on Kempegowda will be played.
The theme park at BIA spreading across 23 acres will be developed in two phases and the first phase will be completed in 9 months time, and for this purpose Rs 20 crores has been sanctioned, he said.
The theme park will comprise an amphitheater, pathway, subway, A V exhibition system, 3D projection, fountain, flower garden, VIP lounge, restrooms, kiosks, modern tiles, pavilions, concrete walls etc.
Also, a Kempegowda Study Centre will be established in Bangalore University at a cost of Rs 50 crores, he added.
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Assam mining tragedy: Bodies of 3 more labourers trapped in coal quarry recovered
Guwahati, Jan 11: The bodies of three workers, who were trapped inside a coal mine in Assam's Dima Hasao district, were recovered on Saturday from the quarry during rescue operations, an official said.
Four bodies have so far been recovered with the first one taken out from the mine on Wednesday, he said.
The four deceased labourers were among the nine workers trapped inside the mine in Umrangsu on Monday after a sudden gush of water flooded the quarry.
"The rescue operations resumed this morning and three bodies were recovered as the search for trapped miners entered its sixth day. The body of one labourer, hailing from Nepal, was recovered on January 8," the official said.
One of the three labourers whose bodies were recovered from the mine during the day was identified as 27-year-old Ligen Magar, a resident of village number 1 of Kalamati in Dima Hasao, he said.
The identification of two other bodies is underway, the district official said.
Magar's body was found floating on accumulated water in the mine after the army and National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) divers went to bring out the worker, the official said.
"Another body was recovered from the Umrangsu mine a short while ago, marking the third recovery so far. The identification process is currently underway”, Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma posted on X.
He said the rescue operations have been continuing with "unwavering resolve".
"Rescue efforts in Umrangsu continue with unwavering resolve. Tragically, another body was recovered this morning...," the chief minister posted on the microblogging site earlier in the day.
''Our hearts go out to the grieving, as we hold on to hope and strength in this difficult time," he added.
Dewatering of the quarry, which is 340 feet deep, was continuing with specialised machines brought in by ONGC and Coal India, the official said.
The chief minister had claimed that the mine was abandoned 12 years ago and was under the Assam Mineral Development Corporation till three years ago.
''It was not an illegal mine but an abandoned one. The workers had entered the mine that day for the first time to extract coal," Sarma said on Friday night.
He said that the leader of the workers has been arrested and the police are conducting investigations into the case.
Speaking on the ongoing rescue operations, Sarma said that dewatering has been continuing since Thursday and so far, 7 metres of water have been pumped out.
''There was water up to 26 metres across four wells. If water is cleared from the wells, we can expect some results'', he said.
Another machine has been brought in from Nagpur and would be operated from Saturday morning, Sarma said, adding that if it functions according to plans, it is expected that the water would be cleared by evening.
On the alleged involvement of a family member of Dima Hasao Autonomous Council's Chief Executive Member Debolal Gorlosa in the incident, the chief minister said, ''This is a human tragedy and we should not politicise it".
