Officials deny any lack of maintenance of the facility that opened door in January 2023

Mysore/Mysuru: Dr. Vishnuvardhan Memorial (Vishnu Memorial) at Halalu village near Udbur Gate on Mysuru-H.D. Kote Road on the outskirts has emerged as a major tourist attraction, adding to the list of tourist spots in the district.

In January 2023, the Memorial of renowned Sandalwood actor late Vishnuvardhan was built on a vast expanse of five acres of land at an estimated cost of Rs. 11 crore. The Department of Information and Public Relations was handed over the task of its maintenance, following its inauguration.

Following the photos that were shared on a section of social media complaining about the sorry state of affairs at the Memorial due to lack of maintenance, Star of Mysore correspondent visited the spot, only to find the complaints as misleading without any substantiating proof. The officials also denied any dereliction of duty on their part. Barring the instances of concrete flaking out at places, there was nothing major to ruminate about the Memorial.

Vijayanand, Assistant Director of Department of Information and Public Relations, who is also the Member-Secretary of Vishnuvardhan Pratishtana said “As part of regular maintenance works, the cleaning of the pond at the Memorial  was taken up, as in the wake of recent rainfall, dust had settled in the water. With the pond exposed to rain and wind, algae is formed in water within in a week. But still, the maintenance work is handled with a well thought over plan involving six to seven staff members with honesty.”

The swanky car of Vishnuvardhan is the new attraction at the Memorial, that is already adorned with several attractions like — Kadaga (the trademark wristlet of the actor) in the centre of the pond, with the seven-feet tall life-size statue of Vishnuvardhan, sculpted by renowned sculptor Arun Yogiraj in black stone in the backdrop and over 600 rare photos of the actor exhibited in a gallery. A cinema hall with seating capacity for 230 audience, makes the Memorial complete.

 According to a staff at the Memorial “The daily footfalls at the Memorial is not less than 1,000 which doubles during weekend and Sundays. It is open from 9 am to 5 pm daily and entry is free.”