BENGALURU: Nearly seven months after the former Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa laid the foundation stone for the Rs 500 crore Anubhava Mantapa at Basavakalyan in Bidar district, work is yet to commence on the much-awaited project. Yediyurappa had promised completion of the project in two years and said it would be inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
However, even the detailed project report (DPR) for the project is yet to be prepared and without the DPR, tenders for the actual work cannot be floated, say officials. Yediyurappa had laid the foundation stone for the project ahead of the bypolls to Basavakalyan Assembly seat.
The Anubhava Mantapa, set up by 12th century reformer Basaveshwara, was the abode of great mysticism, spiritual awakening and religious discourse. It is considered as the ‘first Parliament of the world’. The project to highlight the teachings of Basaveshwara was first proposed in 2016 by the then Siddaramaiah government.
Government sources told TNIE that based on conceptualised drawing, a proposal was placed before the government, following which Yediyurappa laid the foundation stone. “But there has been no progress so far. We had called for tenders for the DPR and shortlisted a few Karnataka-based firms,’’ an official said. “However, the firms are yet to submit the DPR. Without it, we cannot call for tenders. We are hoping they will submit the DPR and we will call for tenders by September and work can start in November. If we do not get proper bidders, the project will further get delayed,” the official added.
The new Anubhava Mantapa will be of six floors supported by 770 pillars and built on the Chalukyan style of architecture. Also, an auditorium, with a seating capacity of 770, will come up. It is believed that there were 770 Sharanas (Basavanna’s followers) in the Anubhava Mantapa.
While the project will come up on 101 acres, the actual structure will be built on 7.5 acres. Of the Rs 500 crore announced for the project in the budget, Rs 200 crore has already been released. Of the 101 acres, philanthropists have donated 11.25 acres. However, the land acquisition process has come to a halt as farmers are demanding higher compensation. Currently, soil testing is being done at the project site.
When asked about the foundation laying ceremony, the official said it was done based on the drawings. “We cannot take up the construction based on only that... we need a detailed project report’,” the official added.