CID to probe corruption charges in Parashurama Theme Park Project
Chief Minister Siddaramaiah has ordered a probe by the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) into the alleged corruption charges in the implementation of the Parashurama Theme Park Project at Bailoor in Karkala taluk of Udupi district.
In an order on Tuesday, Mr. Siddaramaiah said Women and Child Development and Udupi In-charge Minister Laxmi Hebbalkar recently wrote to him mentioning about corruption and poor implementation of the Parashurama Theme Park Project, which has come up atop Umikkal Hills in Bailoor.
She pointed out pro and anti-reports on the project which hurt religious sentiments of the people and sought an investigation either by the CID or any other investigation agency.
“Hence I have ordered for inquiry by the CID and necessary action against the wrongdoers,” Mr. Siddaramaiah said.
Then Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai inaugurated the theme park on January 27, 2023. Mr. Bommai unveiled the 33-foot bronze statue of Parashurama, which is part of the Rs 10 crore project. The theme park has an amphitheatre with a seating capacity of 1,000, a bhajan mandir, an art gallery, and a film studio.
The Congress workers alleged corruption in the project and said the statue was not fully made of bronze.
The Udupi district administration got a technical report from the Sri Madhwa Vadiraja Institute of Technology and Management that said the foot of the statue was weak and was incapable of bearing the heavy weight of the statue.
To strengthen it, the District Nirmithi Kendra, which had undertaken the project, began dismantling the statue part by part and it started on October 9, 2023, with the removal of the head. Following protests, the work came to a halt.
Karkala MLA V. Sunil Kumar welcomed the decision of the Chief Minister and said the CID investigation will put a stop to the controversy surrounding the project.
Mr. Kumar said he had demanded a probe six months ago. While asking for speedy completion of the investigation, Mr. Kumar said the State government should release pending grants to complete the project and open it to the people at the earliest. Mr. Kumar specially thanked Ms. Hebbalkar for taking the initiative to get the issue investigated by the CID.