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Statue: foundation to seek Dharam Singh's intervention

Staff Reporter

Decision comes after Department of Forests urges Centre to withdraw permission to it

A SETBACK: Members of the Sangamithra Foundation showing the plan of their proposed project which has run into problems. — Photo: K. Murali Kumar

BANGALORE: Sangamithra Foundation's plan of a 712-foot statue of the Buddha near Ramangaram in Bangalore Rural district has run into problems with the Department of Forests and Environment recommending to the Union Environment Ministry to withdraw permission to it.

The foundation has now decided to seek the intervention of the Chief Minister, N. Dharam Singh.

The Minister for Forests and Environment, Gurupadappa Nagamarapalli, recently said in the Legislative Assembly that the State Government had not given permission to carve the Buddha statue out of the imposing 1,050-foot "Handigundi" rock at Gopalapura village.

The Minister's statement has been followed up with a letter from the Principal Chief Conservator of Forests (PCCF) returning two cheques for Rs. 32.16 lakhs that had been deposited by the foundation following the provisional clearance from the Union Ministry of Environment and Forests. This clearance is necessary as the Handigundi rock borders the Handigundi State Reserve Forest.

The statement and the returning of cheques have come as a shock to the foundation. The foundation president, M. Prakash, said: "This project does not endanger the wildlife as claimed by environmentalists. We are now constrained to approach the Chief Minister. We will meet him in a day or two."

The project envisages building a World Peace Centre that comprises statues of the Buddha, Mahatma Gandhi, and Babasaheb Ambedkar. A team of 500 sculptors, led by the Chennai-based Padmashri awardee, Muthaiah Stapthi, will be involved in chiselling the statue out of the Handigundi rock.

Tower

The project includes construction of an observation tower similar to "Ashoka Sthambha," diagonally opposite the Buddha statue enabling visitors to get an "eye-to-eye" view of the statue. There will be Buddhist monasteries, meditation centres and libraries.

The project received provisional approval of the Union Ministry of Environment and Forests and permission from the State Government in May 2004.

Funds

The foundation then started mobilising funds from donors and corporate houses for the Rs. 30-crore project. It even organised `Temptation,' a show featuring Bollywood actors.

But the environmentalists raised objections to the project. Leo Saldanha of Environment Support Group said the rock identified for chiselling the statue has been termed by the Geological Society of India as "unique" in terms of its age. The rock is important in terms of its geological value and it is a favourite spot of rock climbers. According to Subramanya, a Ph.D. in bird-watching, about 250 species of birds will be threatened if the statue is allowed to come up.

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