Udupi Nirmita Kendra agrees to provide protection at Parashurama statue construction site

Udupi Nirmiti Kendra provides protection for Parashurama statue reinforcement amid CID probe and legal proceedings.

Udupi Nirmiti Kendra in its submission to the High Court (HC) said that it would provide protection at the site where the 35-feet Parashurama statue will undergo reinforcement atop a hill in Karkala in Udupi district.

Meanwhile, the Karnataka government has ordered a CID probe into alleged irregularities in the work on Sunday. 

The Kendra submitted its response in a writ petition filed by M/S Krish Art World on April 10. The response was submitted on April 22. Art World is a company which bagged the contract for the construction of a bronze statue. The petition was filed in the HC seeking protection at the site citing threat. Upon the filing of a memo seeking disposal of the case by the company and the respondent, as both parties agreed to their terms and conditions, the HC disposed of the case on April 23. The Kendra in its submission agreed to continue the contract with the company and also laid a condition asking them to complete the works in four months.

The Parashurama statue snowballed into a row after some miscreants forced the contractor to stop the work. An FIR was also filed in this connection at the jurisdictional police station. As the statue atop the hill abuts the sea and is prone to extreme weather conditions, including lighting strikes, the contractor requested Kendra for scientific reinforcement. The Kendra granted permission to dismantle the statue for reinforcement. The contractor dismantled the upper half of the statue. But Kendra on December 21, 2023, served a show cause notice against non-completion of work to the company. The company in its response said it requires adequate safety measures as earlier, the workers were forced to stop the work. 

Deputy Commissioner, K. Vidyakumari who is also the chairman of the Kendra, said there was a design flaw in the statue and hence it was permitted for reinforcement. Ms Vidyakumari said Kendra has agreed to protection but the work did not start as the Model Code of Conduct (MCC) is in place. On the other hand, she said she received an order stating that the government has ordered a CID probe to investigate irregularities in the construction of the statue and development of the Parashurama theme park. “As CID probe has ordered the probe, now we have to relook and take decisions on the protection.”