The Mysuru Urban Development Authority (MUDA) has decided to install a statue of Sri Ramakrishna Paramahamsa at Dattagalli.
The decision was taken at the MUDA Board Meeting held on Saturday and allays fears that the local body was not keen on such a move. There were speculations earlier that the statue may not be installed as the Supreme Court had had taken a dim view of installing statues at random in public places. This had led to a spate of protests in the locality .
Dattagalli is an upcoming locality in the city where the MUDA has already completed the construction of a circle at I block, which is modelled after K.R. Circle and the statue is to be installed at the circle.
The authority will identify a sculptor to chisel out a life-size statue of the 19th century saint. It is likely that the statue will depict the popular lotus posture as the monk is normally depicted. The circle is located at the intersection of Vishwa Manava Double Road and Chaduranaga Road
Landscaped gardens
The statue is expected to cost around Rs. 20 lakh and the area around the circle will be developed as a public space with seating arrangements, landscaped gardens with fountains and adequate illumination. However, there are also plans to develop commercial property which will add to dense growth in the locality.
The board also gave its consent to release Rs. 19.5 lakh for providing potable water to Bogadi and SBM Colony. On the issue of recovering instalments from beneficiaries of Own Your House Scheme (OYHS) and HUDCO, the MUDA decided to extend the last date by another three months.
The instalment due will be recovered with interest from the beneficiaries and a special team comprising tahshildars, would be constituted for the purpose. The meeting was attended by MUDA members including MLAs, MLCs, and senior MUDA officials, and was presided over by its chairman.
