Bengaluru: The proposed installation of a 125-feet high statue of Goddess Cauvery who symbolises the lifeline for crores of people in Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and Puducherr at the sprawling KRS dam premises in Mandya district, has been strongly opposed by civil engineers. They fear a grave threat to the dam if the state government ignores the suggestions of renowned engineers.
The Kumaraswamy government has plans to erect the statue in Brindavan Gardens and create a Disney Land like recreation spot on 400 acres to attract tourists. The estimated cost of this project is Rs 2,000 crore. The proposal was announced by the CM during his recent visit to KRS dam to offer bagina to Goddess Cauvery.
A technical wing of the Institution of Engineers, Mysuru, held a detailed deliberation on the erection of the statue and warned against any such ‘misadventure’ as it may pose a big threat to KRS dam, constructed by Sir M Visvesvaraya.
Mr M Lakshman, convener of the technical wing, told Deccan Chronicle, “Firstly, the dam has been constructed in the vault zone (seismic) and on a rocky structure. Right below the dam, a tank like structure has been constructed to store excess water from the dam. Now, the government wants to erect a 125 feet tall statue at a depth of 60 feet just below the dam.
To put up such a tall statue, they need to dig at least 30 to 40 feet right in the Brindavan Garden area to lay the foundation. This is not advisable keeping in mind the age of the dam."
The removal of huge rocks in the area may damage the dam's foundation and heavy seepage of water while digging for the foundation cannot be ruled out, he said. Unfortunately, the government had not engaged a technical team or approached the Geological Survey of India to examine the feasibility of the new project. Before announcing the proposal, the CM should have done the ground work, he explained.
Mr Lakshman also claimed that a Central Industrial Security Force(CISF) official has written to the Cauvery monitoring board expressing concern over a possible increase in the number of tourists to KRS dam particularly during weekends if the statue is erected. The CISF already has its hands full in providing security across the dam area, he reportedly said.
