PM Modi likely to inaugurate 108-foot bronze statue of Kempegowda next month
Bengaluru,(PTI): With Prime Minister Narendra Modi likely to inaugurate the 108-foot bronze statue of Bengaluru's founder Nadaprabhu Kempegowda next month, Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai on Thursday directed officials to make necessary arrangements for the event.
The Prime Minister will also be inaugurating the Kempegowda theme park which has been developed near the international airport here.
According to official sources, the inauguration is likely on November 10 and the event is likely to attract lakhs of people.
Bommai today chaired a meeting of the Nadaprabhu Kempegowda Heritage Area Development Authority and took stock of the inauguration plans.
The statue weighing 220 tonne is being installed at the Kempegowda International Airport (KIA) here at an expense of about Rs 85 crore. There will also be a heritage park in about 23 acres dedicated to the 16th century chieftain.
Ahead of the grand unveiling of the statue authorities had launched a unique campaign of collecting the "sacred" mud and water from all the villages of the state.
Renowned sculptor and Padma Bhushan awardee Ram Vanji Sutar has designed the statue at his Nodia studio. Sutar had built the 'Statue of Unity' in Gujarat and the statue of 'Gandhiji' in Bengaluru's Vidhana Soudha.
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Mayank Agarwal to replace Padikkal in RCB, DC sign Sediqullah Atal for Brook
New Delhi, May 7 (PTI): Royal Challengers Bengaluru on Wednesday picked Mayank Agarwal as a replacement for injured Devdutt Padikkal, while Delhi Capitals signed Afghanistan's Sediqullah Atal in place of Englishman Harry Brook for the remainder of the Indian Premier League.
Padikkal, who played 10 matches for RCB this season and scored 247 runs with the help of two half-centuries, sustained an injury to his right hamstring.
Agarwal has played 127 IPL matches so far, scoring 2661 runs. He has one IPL hundred and 13 fifties against his name. He joins RCB for Rs 1 Crore.
DC, on the other hand, have signed up 23-year-old Afghan batter Atal, who made headlines with his heroic 85-run knock against Australia in the ICC Champions Trophy earlier this year.
Atal has played 49 T20s across various competitions, scoring 1,507 runs at an average of 34.25, including 13 half-centuries.
He first rose to prominence during the Kabul Premier League 2023, where he smashed 48 runs in a single over. In that innings, he remained unbeaten on 118 off 56 balls, which included seven fours and ten sixes. He also scored a century in the tournament final, making 103 off just 42 deliveries.
Atal played a pivotal role in Afghanistan’s title win at the ACC Men’s T20 Emerging Teams Asia Cup 2024, topping the run-scorers’ chart with 368 runs in five matches.
He replaces Brook, who has been banned by the BCCI for pulling out of the IPL despite being bought at the auction.
"We are excited to welcome Atal to the Delhi Capitals. He is an exciting, young talent who has impressed everyone with his performances for both the Afghanistan youth and senior teams," DC head coach Hemang Badani said.
