When People are Suffering, We Need BETTER Facilities to Fight Covid-19 RATHER than a Rs 66 Crore Statue

When People are Suffering, We Need BETTER Facilities to Fight Covid-19 RATHER than a Rs 66 Crore Statue

Mangaluru: Few days ago, foundation stone was laid for a 108 feet tall giant statue of Bengaluru Founder Kempegowda, which will come up at the Bengaluru International Airport- a statue made up of bronze that will cost nearly Rs 66 Crores. Are our Netas hooked on stupidity or what? When the Covid-19 positive cases are increasing, along with numerous deaths, and here we have our elected leaders planned on a statue, rather than using the same money on facilities used to prevent the spread of Covid-19. When there are lack of beds in government hospitals, lack of PPE’s, masks etc, why the rush in spending such a huge amount money on a bronze statue, amid the pandemic.

It should be noted that currently, India has around 236,000 patients out of which 113,000 have recovered. 6600 casualties have also taken place. India, also to be estimated to reach the peak point of single-day infections really soon. In Karnataka, there are 18,016 confirmed cases, with 8,334 recovered and 272 deaths- and here we are goi9ng ahead with a multi-crore statue project, during such a distressful and tragic time. Absolutely makes no sense.This project is all about money making tactics played by our netas, before their tenure ends. While the project may cost 75% of the expected cost, the remaining 25% of the money will be in politicians and other third party people. Bah humbug!

Deputy Chief Minister Aswath Narayan had said “The erection of a Kempe Gowda statue was a demand which we are going to fulfill. “It has been a long pending demand of the people of Karnataka. By the next 512 th birth anniversary of Kempegowda , we will have a statue erected in the international airport. The entire outline will cover a space of 23 acres. A board that has been managing the restoration and protection of Kempe Gowda monuments in the state will oversee the statue. The contractors Sutar and Anil R Sutar, the same sculptors who designed the World’s Tallest Statue, “The Statue of Unity”have been hired for the Kempe Gowda statue”.

Well said by the Minister, but when the costs of taking care of Covid-19 caes are surging, why even spend such a huge amount of money on a bronze statue, during the time of pandemic, where people are facing hardship, no food, shelter etc. The same Rs 66 crore could have been used in providing more beds at the covid-19 hospitals, better facilities to tackle the virus, provide food and commodities for people who have lost jobs during lockdown. Instead our corrupt netas are trying to swallow tax payers money in the name of this statue project, thereby fulfilling their greed.

It is learnt that the Kempegowda statue will be yet another addition to the series of the ‘statue’ projects in the country. While the Statue of Unity in Gujarat started the trend, the other running projects include a Shivaji statue off Mumbai and the statue of Lord Ram in Ayodhya in Uttar Pradesh. As per reports, the statue of Lord Ram will be taller than the Shivaji statue. But why even think of such projects now, when India is under the threat of this deadly virus, which is putting humans lives in jeopardy. Questions of visibility and privilege are something a statue makes immediately apparent; a statue is merely optics, nothing else. Who would it even serve, besides the privileged by keeping them closer to their sources of power? Will the release of such funds – paid for from tax payer’s pocket, it must be added – be dictated solely by the whims of electoral politics? People should raise their voices and stop this multi-crore project, immediately! Period!