The Hindu : Karnataka / Bangalore News : Statue: foundation's plea to Government

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Thursday, Jun 22, 2006

Karnataka

Karnataka - Bangalore

Statue: foundation's plea to Government

Special Correspondent

Greens are opposing the Buddha statue near Ramanagaram

Bangalore: The Sanghamitra Foundation, which has planned a monolithic statue of Buddha near Ramanagaram, has asked the State Government to help solve the controversy with environmentalists and the Forest Department opposing the proposal. The nearly 600 ft tall statue has been planned in the rocky hillocks in the area, which comes under the Handigondi forests. The Principal Chief Conservator of Forests had informed the Principal Secretary for Forests, Environment and Ecology, that the forests were home to a variety of wildlife, including panther, wild boar, golden jackal, porcupine and sloth bear. The Forest Department had designated the area a sloth bear sanctuary.

Environmentalists are opposed to the statue plan because of disturbance to the wildlife once it becomes a tourist attraction. They also pointed out that the rock formations, probably dating back to the pre-historic period, were a natural heritage that should not be tampered with. According to the president of Sanghamitra Foundation M. Ramesh, while the issue was now in the court, the State Government was at liberty to file an affidavit and settle the questions raised by the Union Ministry of Environment and Forests.

"The doubts raised are not based on facts and the Government was misled by some vested interests into denying permission for the statue," he said. The statue location is near a village and not in the middle of the forest and the project will generate employment as it will become a tourist attraction, he said.

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