Pics: Abhijith N Kolpe

Daijiworld Media Network – Mangaluru

Mangaluru, Feb 28: The Mangaluru City Corporation (MCC) has decided to reinstall the statue of Ullal Srinivas Mallya, the architect of Dakshina Kannada and the district’s first Member of Parliament, in the same vicinity at Padua Junction with a dedicated park. The decision comes as the ongoing highway expansion project necessitates the removal of the existing statue.

The statue is currently located in a small park in the 32nd Kadri North Ward under MCC limits. While the statue itself is not directly affected by the construction, a portion of the park will be absorbed into the highway. As a result, the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) instructed the MCC to relocate the statue, a request to which the corporation has agreed. It has now decided to allocate space at the rear of the current park for the statue and park redevelopment.

Officials from both MCC and NHAI have inspected the site, and the MCC has agreed to provide 0.8 cents of its land for the highway expansion. The park, once a beautiful green space, had already been partially affected by previous development activities. Following a request from the Ullal Srinivas Mallya Fans’ Association, the MCC has responded positively to the proposal of relocating the statue and restoring the park in the adjacent vacant land.

Mayor Manoj Kumar stated that the relocation would not pose any risk to the statue. The government land adjacent to the park will be allocated for the reinstallation of the statue and park development. While the highway authority will handle the construction, the maintenance will be undertaken by the Ullal Srinivas Mallya Fans’ Association.

The NHAI has been given specific conditions for the relocation of the statue. The statue must be installed within the park near the national highway, and the boundary wall should be rebuilt as per its original structure. Since the new location has limited space, an additional 3 cents of land must be developed to accommodate the statue. Furthermore, all necessary safety measures must be taken before the relocation and reinstallation process begins.