Whose 125 feet statue is coming up in mandya?
State government is mulling rs. 1,200cr project
Bengaluru, Nov 15: The Karnataka government is mulling a proposal to upgrade the Brindavan gardens adjoining the Krishnarajasagara dam, on the lines of Disney land that includes installation of a mammoth watchtower statue of "Mother Cauvery."
Water Resources Minister D K Shivakumar along with Tourism Minister Sa Ra Mahesh has held a meeting with officials from the water resources and the tourism departments on Wednesday regarding this, officials said.
"Statue is just a part of it... government in the budget for tourism purpose has provisioned for up-gradation of Brindavan Gardens that has musical fountain.
We want to upgrade it on the lines of Disneyland," Shivakumar told reporters here on Thursday.
He said concepts had come from architects depicting Karnataka's rich cultural heritage and architecture.
"The concept includes a tall towering statue like of Mother Cauvery that includes a lift from where visitors can view the dam and surrounding areas from the gallery.
We have seen the concept and have given certain suggestions," he saidadding that a global tender would be called for investing into the project.
The Minister also clarified that, it is just a concept and the proposal in this regard is yet to come before the cabinet.
Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy in his first ever budget presented on July 5, had proposed to bring back the grandeur of Brindavan Gardens and Krishnarajasagar 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.
Noting that about 300 acre land was available for the purpose, the Minister not wanting to divulge much said, "we are working out for more land if required."
"There is sufficient land. We want to do this without affecting the public," he said.
Asked about the project cost, Shivakumar said, private partners would invest and the government would only invest in the initial stage.
"I don't want to detail much on how the project will be now itself," he said not wishing to share details on the height of the proposed statue.
To a query on Congress' opposition to 'Statue of Unity' in Gujarat and proposed Ram statue in UP, Shivakumar said, the proposal was not just for statue, it is a theme park with an aim to promote tourism.
"Some architects have given a concept proposal for a watch tower that will have a shape (of mother Cauvery)," he said adding that there is also design for a street depicting the heritage and history of Karnataka which will have models of Hampi and Gol Gumbaz among others.
The Brindavan Gardens, primarily a terrace garden is laid out in about 60 acres immediately behind the Krishnaraja Sagar dam across the river Cauvery.
The Department of Horticulture in 1927 started the work of laying out this garden, then called the Krishnarajendra Terrace Garden, under the aegis of Sir Mirza Ismail, the then Dewan of the princely State of Mysore.
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Maharashtra sets up state vaccination task force to strengthen immunisation programme
Mumbai (PTI): The Maharashtra government has set up a State Vaccination Task Force to strengthen the regular immunisation programme and review the progress of related campaigns, a health department official said on Monday.
The State Vaccination Task Force will comprise at least 29 members and will be headed by the administrative head of the health department, he informed.
The government has also constituted separate district-level and municipal vaccination task forces to improve implementation and address challenges at the grassroots level, he said.
Municipal task forces, chaired by respective civic commissioners, have been constituted in view of the vast urban population in Maharashtra and the role of civic bodies in implementing different health programmes.
The district-level task forces will function under the chairmanship of collectors.
"Complete immunisation of children at the appropriate age is an extremely simple, cost-effective and highly effective measure to reduce child mortality and the prevalence of diseases among kids. Immunisation is a powerful tool for reducing illness in children," maintained the official.
To ensure full vaccination of all children, the state government implements various campaigns from time to time as per the central government guidelines, he pointed out.
"Active participation and cooperation of other relevant government departments are essential (in making these campaigns successful)," according to the official.
The state-level body will review the regular immunisation programme, associated campaigns and vaccine-preventable diseases in detail. It will also conduct focused assessments of high-risk districts and municipal corporations, including vacancies at district, municipal and sub-district levels, availability of cold chain equipment, resource gaps and training requirements, he noted.
The state task force will review allocation and utilisation of funds for immunisation and ensure timely action by officers concerned based on reports from district and municipal task forces and state-level monitoring mechanisms, the official said.
It will also ensure active coordination and participation of other government departments in immunisation drives, while district and municipal task forces will carry out similar functions at their respective levels, the official added.
