Bengaluru: The second terminal of the Kempegowda International Airport (KIA) on the outskirts of Bengaluru will be inaugurated on Nov. 10 by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

“I invite all of you to participate in the event to make it a grand success,” Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai told party workers while addressing the BJP State Executive Committee meeting. As per reports, PM Modi has also been invited to inaugurate the massive 108-ft statue of Kempegowda, hailed as the founder of Bengaluru.

Terminal 2, or T2, is being built in two phases at a cost of Rs. 13,000 crore. Phase one of the T2, which has an area of 2.54 lakh square feet, will be inaugurated first, while phase two will be completed later, officials said.

Phase one will increase the KIA’s capacity by about 25 million passengers per annum, while phase two will add a capacity of 20 million passengers per annum. The construction of T2 began in 2018, and several deadlines were given for its completion but works were stalled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Karnataka Government has also begun constructing a massive heritage park near the airport, dedicated to Kempegowda, the founder of Bengaluru. A massive 108-feet statue of Kempegowda is being constructed, which is touted as the tallest statue of Kempegowda. Reports state that the park is being built at a cost of Rs. 85 crore. The statue is located on a 23-acre plot of land.

Ram U. Sutar and Anil R. Sutar were given the contract to make the statue, who were also responsible for building the 597-feet tall Statue of Unity. The statue of Kempegowda will also be set completely in bronze. In May this year, works were expedited with the arrival of a sword weighing as much as 4,000 kg, which will adorn the statue, from Delhi to Bengaluru.