Deputy Chief Minister C N Ashwath Narayan has said that the 108-foot-tall bronze statue of Nadaprabhu Kempegowda, to be installed in front of the Kempegowda International Airport (KIA) in Bengaluru, was being readied at Noida near here at a cost of Rs 85 crore and will be ready by next year.
“Due to Covid, the work got delayed. The statue will be ready by next year,” he told reporters after reviewing the progress of the work on the statue at Noida recently.
Renowned sculptor and Padma Bhushan awardee Ram Vanji Sutar is designing the statue at his Nodia studio. Sutar had built the ‘Statue of Unity’ in Gujarat and the statue of Mahatma Gandhi in Bengaluru.
Ashwath Narayan said that the foundation stone for the project was laid last year. The statue will be installed on a 23-acre heritage park that will come up at KIA, he said.
Swami Nirmalanandanatha of Adichuchanagiri Mutt had accompanied the minister.
Sutar said, “Right now, we have finished work till the neck level of the statue, which is approximately about 80-foot high, using high-density thermocol and CNC programme.”
After the thermocol statue is ready, the design moulds will be taken using clay and plaster of Paris, he said, adding that two different models, including sand casting, will be followed while making the statue.