Bengaluru: Finally, shifting of victory stone to begin on June 30

BENGALURU: Years after it was commissioned and several months after it was completed, the 450-tonne veeragallu (victory stone) to be installed at the National Military Memorial near Raj Bhavan will be shifted from June 30.
The 75-ft tall stone will be transported for around 45km and erected at the seven-acre NMM at Indira Gandhi Musical Fountain, opposite Jawaharlal Nehru Planetarium. While the shifting process will begin on June 30, it will take at least 36 hours to get the stone transferred on to a trolley, only after which can it be ferried.
The transportation is estimated to cost Rs 5.5 crore, according to the Gujarat-based bidder. But the bidder is said to have escalated the cost and is demanding more from Bangalore Development Authority (BDA) citing delay in completing the procedure, an official in the know of things said. This stone is an integral part of the NMM project, which was envisaged as a tribute to martyrs. Cutting of the huge stone and other work was done at Koira village off Devanahalli.
BDA's engineering member told STOI officials along with traffic cops have conducted a recce of the route through which the stone will be transported. "We have a set a time frame of 37 days for transportation and erection of the stone," he said.