PM Narendra Modi to open chiselled steps to Bahubali today
Prior to the 1910 Mahamastakabhisheka, Vindhyagiri Hill had no steps to enable visitors reach the Bahubali statue.
Hassan | Mysuru: Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrived in Mysuru on Sunday night to attend a bevy of programmes including the launch of the electrification of the railway line between Mysuru and Bengaluru. He will flag off the Hum Safar Express connecting Mysuru and Udaipur and inaugurate the 661 newly chiselled steps at the rocky Vindhyagiri Hill on which stands the world’s tallest monolithic statue of Bahubali, during the ongoing Mahamastkabhisheka Mahotsav-2018. Prior to the 1910 Mahamastakabhisheka, Vindhyagiri Hill had no steps to enable visitors reach the Bahubali statue. For their convenience, a row of steps was chiselled ahead of Mahamastakbhisheka-1910, says Ashok Kumar attached to Shravanabelagola Jain Mutt.
The PM was received by Chief Minister Siddaramaiah at the airport. Security has been beefed up in Mysuru where the PM will also participate in a mega BJP rally at the Maharaja’s College grounds. Mr Modi will travel in a special helicopter from Lalitmahal helipad to attend the Mahamasthakabhisheka at Shravanabelagola and later arrive at JK grounds helipad to launch the electrification of the 138 km railway line between Bengaluru and Mysuru, taken up at a cost of Rs 220 crore.
The railway double line project worth Rs 990 Crores (including electrification) between Mysuru and Bengaluru which began 13 years ago has been completed after much delay with the translocation of Tipu’s armoury near Srirangapatna With the completion of railway doubling and electrification, the travel time between Bengaluru and Mysuru will be reduced by 15 minutes for Shatabdi trains and 20-30 minutes for passenger trains,.
Meanwhile, the Mysuru city coporation (MCC) engaged 300 workers for cleaning the routes which would be taken by the PM, including washing of the roads. The solid waste treatment plant where over 7 lakh tonnes of waste remains undisposed, is on the PM’s route from the airport on Nanjangud Road. Bio culture solutions were sprayed at different intervals to prevent the foul smell from spreading around.
BJP leader Aravind Limbavali claimed that over a lakh people from Mysuru, Kodagu, Chamarajnagar, Mandya and Hassan will attend the party rally in Mysuru.