Mysuru: The new BJP government is likely to drop the controversial Disneyland project at Krishna Raja Sagar (KRS) Dam initiated by the previous Coalition Government.
A high-level meeting will be held in Bengaluru under the chairmanship of Cauvery Neeravari Nigama Limited (CNNL) Managing Director H.L. Prasanna Kumar at his office tomorrow morning to decide the fate of the project. It may be mentioned here that the present CM B.S. Yediyurappa had opposed the project when he was the leader of the Opposition and had called it a waste of money and was against the interests of thousands of farmers.
The CNNL is the implementing agency of the Disneyland project worth more than Rs. 2,000 crore. The project was initiated by the then Chief Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy and Tourism Minister S.R. Mahesh and was strongly supported by Water Resources Minister D.K. Shivakumar. They argued that the project would create employment to at least 40,000 people in Mandya and Mysuru districts.
The Disneyland project was included in the last Budget and had proposed constructing a giant 120-metre statue of Goddess Cauvery, a Tower Point that is taller than the KRS Dam, Krishnaraja Wadiyar Rotary, Toll Plaza, Entry Plaza, Grand Street, Gandaberunda statue and a host of attractions, making it a “Must Visit Tourist Destination in India.”
The project was to come up in 86 acre area out of the 400 acres of Government land available in and around the land.
The project, however was opposed by farmers and Green activists and also faced a hurdle from Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change (MoEFCC) that has already declared Ranganathittu Bird Sanctuary near Srirangapatna and its surrounding areas as Eco-Sensitive Zone (ESZ).
As per the MoEFCC guidelines, no new construction of hotels and resorts will be allowed within one kilometre radius of the bird sanctuary’s boundary or up to the extent of the ESZ. Any expansion of existing tourist facilities including resorts within the ESZ shall be in accordance with the Central guidelines. The MoEFCC would not give clearance to the project, argued environmentalists.
This apart, Chief Minister B.S. Yediyurappa, who was the Opposition leader when the Coalition Government was in power, had vehemently opposed the Disneyland project. Yediyurappa had asked Minister D.K. Shivakumar in the Assembly, “What is your priority? Constructing a statue of Cauvery and creating a Disney land-like park at KRS or completing long-pending project like Alamatti?”
This post was published on August 4, 2019 7:58 pm