Bhubaneswar: Damage to statue raises concern

BHUBANESWAR: Tension erupted at Master Canteen Square when a couple of statues adjacent to the iconic Konark Horse statue were damaged during the repair work that started at the place on Saturday.
Members of a socio-cultural organisation staged a protest in front of the statue criticising the careless manner in which the work was being executed. “There is something fishy. Initially, the government decided to shift the statue. Following protests, chief minister Naveen Patnaik directed that the statue will continue to be there as a masterpiece of Odisha’s art and sculpture and will get a facelift. But on the first day if two statues are broken, I suspect that there was some ill intention,” said Pradyumna Satpathy, secretary of Pujyapuja Sanskruti Abhiyan, a socio-cultural organisation.
After the state government changed its plan to shift the iconic Konark Warrior Horse statue from Master Canteen Square, the Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation (BMC) and Bhubaneswar Development Authority (BDA) jointly started facelift and repair of the statue, its podium and other statues kept near it under the guidance of noted sculptor Sudarshan Sahu.
The 18ftX15ft statue made up of Khandolite stone was installed in 1988 by the then chief minister Janaki Ballav Patnaik. However, due to lack of proper maintenance and exposure to sun and rain, the statue has become brittle.
“Everything has a shelf-life. The statue has been damaged as it has been lying under the sun and rain over the years. We have been taking all care of the statues and they will remain intact after the repair. The spot will be one of the most beautiful and landmark places of the city, said Sahu.