Work on installing 10 heritage lamp posts with elephant heads on a 2-ft concrete platform underway
Mysore/Mysuru: Soon, take a stroll around K.R. Circle after 6.30 pm and you will find decorative light poles fixed with glowing LED lights elevating the overall ambiance of the Statue Circle.
The Tourism Department has embarked on a Rs. 1 crore project to make the Circle look beautiful with the installation of 10 heritage lamp posts with four elephant heads looking in four different directions. The cast iron poles are specially brought from Madhya Pradesh.
Each lamp post measures 24-ft in height and the poles will be erected on a 2-ft concrete platforms that are already built at the Circle. The project is expected to be completed within a month or so.
The light pole will have two bulbs — one of 150 Watt and the other of 100 Watt power. While one bulb will light up the road, the other will brighten the footpaths around the Circle.
Speaking to Star of Mysore, Harsha Shivalingappa from the project implementing agency KRIDL (Karnataka Rural Infra-structure Development Limited) said that the poles are being manufactured by a firm that specialises in it from Madhya Pradesh.
“These poles are customised to match the Heritage City character of Mysuru. Each pole will cost about Rs. 5.5 lakh and the overall cost per pole will be Rs. 10 lakh including civil works, electrification, bulbs, GST, transportation, road cutting and also UGD works,” he explained.
Even a city like Bengaluru does not have such ornate lamp poles and once installed they will make K.R. Circle unique, reminiscent of the times of Mysore Maharajas, he noted. “This is the reason why a specialised firm has been engaged for this task. We have inspected the poles, tested the quality and then given a green signal,” Harsha added.
Although a couple of other lamp posts of different designs were installed earlier, they were removed as they were not found to be much attractive or have corroded over time. But these aesthetic poles have durability and longevity to withstand the vagaries of nature, without getting rusted or damaged, he claimed.
Tourism hub
MLA L. Nagendra said that K.R. Circle is one of the most visited and attractive Circles in the heart of the city. “The Circle is an integral part of Dasara Jumboo Savari and the cast iron lamp posts with heritage character will lift the ambience of the area,” he said.
Pointing out that D. Devaraj Urs Road and Sayyaji Rao Road are like M.G. Road and Brigade Road of Mysuru like in Bengaluru, he stressed on the importance of making the K.R. Circle more attractive and absorbing. “The installation of antique-look lamp posts is an effort to further promote Mysuru as a tourism hub,” he added.
This post was published on October 27, 2021 6:44 pm