Former PM Atal Bihari Vajpayee's 10-ft tall bronze statue unveiled in Cuttack ahead of 100th birth anniversary

Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi unveiled a 10-foot tall bronze statue of former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee at Bellview Square, adjacent to the Odisha Judicial Academy in Cuttack City on Tuesday morning.

Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, Cuttack Mayor Subhash Chandra Singh, Barabati-Cuttack MLA Sofia Firdous, and Cuttack Collector Dattatraya Bhausaheb Shinde were among the several dignitaries present at the unveiling ceremony.

CM Majhi dedicated the statue to the life and services of the late Bharat Ratna conferred PM on the eve of his 100th birth anniversary celebrations.

“The celebration of his (Atal Bihari Vajpayee’s) extraordinary public service commitments will be celebrated tomorrow as well to mark his 100th birth anniversary,” the CM stated before adding that the unveiling of this statue today marked a momentous day not only for Cuttack but also for the entire Odisha.

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The bronze statue stands 10 feet tall and weighs 10 quintals and was crafted under the supervision of renowned artist Sanjib Biswal and prominent sculptor Laxmidhar Rana, along with a team of 20 artisans.

It has been installed on an 8-foot-high lotus-shaped pedestal situated prominently at the center of a roundabout that connects the city to the Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose Setu towards Bhubaneswar.

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At the same event, the Cuttack collector also spoke of the contributions of former BJP MLA Samir Dey in the designing of the statue. As per him, the late MLA had initially proposed the idea of installing a statue of Atal Bihari Vajpayee, which has now been realized.