29 September,2010 07:04 AM IST | | Manjunath L Hanji
The much awaited Sangolli Rayanna statue was finally unveiled after a three-year delay yesterday, with much fanfare, in the presence of about 10,000 people.
The pressure from various organisations of North Karnataka finally initiated Chief Minister BS Yedyurappa to unveil the statue.
On June 11, MiD DAY had published a story on the state of the statue and the delay in its unveiling.u00a0
On this occasion, the CM also asked the Central Government to approval awards in Rayanna's name, which will be given to the best police personnel.
CM Yedyurappa with BJP State President KS Eshwarappa, Home and Transport Minister R Ashok at the inauguration ceremony yesterday
In 2005, the state government planned to construct and install a 15-foot statue of Rayanna at Majestic. The installing work was been completed in 2008.u00a0
Four months ago the BBMP had deputed security personnel to keep a watch on the statue because bus and rail commuters were using this place for drinking and playing cards.
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For this purpose, the BBMP was spending a monthly Rs 15, 000.
Moreover, the cold war between organisations and politicians had kept the unveiling on hold, and the expenses kept mounting. So much so, that by now, the expenditure had crossed Rs 75 lakh.
Another reason for the delay was the reconstruction of garden. Initially, 10 feet had been provided for this purpose, but was later expanded to 40 feet.
BT Ramesh, Chief Engineer, West division said, "We have rebuilt the garden, which looks more beautiful now.
We have tried to make it a sight for the commuters, and this may be one of the reasons behind the delay.
