BENGALURU: The 75-foot tall Veeragallu, inching along the 50-km distance from Koira quarry in Devanahalli to the National Military Memorial on Sankey Road, is running into mega bottlenecks enroute. As of now, the 450-tonne monolith is patiently lying on its trailer on a service road near the Doddajala railway crossing. A temporary road is being laid at the level crossing to ensure the trailer passes through.
“The journey was brought to a stop on Thursday evening to create a 20-ft wide road. The road will be in place by Saturday morning. The Railways has given us permission between 2 pm and 4 pm to take the statue through the crossing,” said a senior Bangalore Development Authority (BDA) official.
It is highly unlikely to meet its planned deadline of reaching its destination by Monday, and is now likely to do so by Wednesday or Thursday. The narrow roads and sharp curves on roads enroute forced officials to widen roads at Koira, Jyotipura and Muddenahalli, which delayed its journey, the official explained. “Heavy rain, too, ensured a delayed start from Koira,” he added. The transportation and subsequent erection of the Veeragallu will cost the BDA Rs 5.46 crore, while the monolith was carved at a cost of Rs 1 crore.
The Veeragallu’s journey appears like a mega procession. Altogether, 30 staffers of the contractor, a private logistics firm from Mumbai tasked with the transportation, and five BDA officials have been walking along with the trailer ever since it began its journey on June 5 at 3.30pm. After completing the railway crossing at Doddajala, it will have another railway crossing at Hebbal.
“At present, those accompanying it are camping in nearby hotels during the nights. After we cross Doddajala, we plan to transport it only during nights,” he added. On Saturday morning, BDA commissioner Rakesh Singh will visit the spot where the trailer has camped, to take stock of its progress.