Government set to float global tenders for Cauvery park near KRS dam in January

KRS DAM (MANDYA):On Saturday, even as people from various walks of life decided to come together to oppose the proposed

Disneyland project

near the KRS dam, the state government made it clear that tenders will be floated next month for what it calls an “upgradation of Brindavan Gardens on the lines of Disneyland in the US.”

“We will invite global tenders in a month and hope to complete the project within two-and-a-half-years,” water resources minister DK Shivakumar told reporters after visiting the project site near the KRS dam along with ministers and legislators of Mandya and Mysuru districts.

At a meeting in Agricultural Marketing Institute in Mysuru on Saturday, the Cauvery KRS Horata Samithi members expressed their anguish over the government plan to go ahead with the mega project. The members decided to take out massive protests, especially in Mysuru, Mandya and Bengaluru, to stop the state government in its tracks.

According to the government,the Rs 1,500-crore project that will come up in 336 acres of land downstream the reservoir seeks to upgrade the existing Brindavan Gardens.

Seeking to allay concerns expressed by some experts, the minister said that the safety of the dam, interests of farmers in the vicinity and employees working at Brindavan Garden swill be taken care of.

“A committee consisting of district ministers of Mandya, Mysuru, Hassan and Chamarajanagar, as well as representatives of Mysuru engineers’ association and the royal family will be set up to look into the concerns. The panel will go through objections raised by the public besides giving suggestions,” Shivakumar said.

“In no way the culture, history and heritage of the KRS reservoir and the Brindavan Gardens will be compromised. Instead, it will be upgraded to international standards,” he said.

Adding that the aim of the project is to give a boost to tourism and employment generation, he said: “We are expecting footfalls to KRS dam to go up to 12,000 to 15,000 per day once the project is completed. That will create around 25,000 jobs.”

Shivakumar said the government is neither acquiring any private land nor spending a rupee on the project. “It will be built through PPP model where the private player will invest, build and operate. More importantly, the concessioner will share revenue with the government,” Shivakumar said.

The lease period will be decided by the cabinet before which the project will be placed for approval soon. However, not many politicians from Mandya are happy with the project. The first sign of rebellion came from Srirangapatna JD(S) MLA Ravindra Srikantaiah, who has expressed his displeasure over the project. Srikantaiah did not join the team led by Shivakumar.