After receiving severe criticism, the Culture department of the Odisha government has decided to withdraw its decision to relocate the iconic warrior horse statue from Master Canteen area of Bhubaneswar.
BMC (Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation) Commissioner Sanjay Singh said that the decision was taken at the government level. Last month, a proposal regarding the relocation of the iconic statue was given by authorities of the Bhubaneswar Smart City Limited (BSCL) for the Smart Janpath project.
The proposal was also approved by the State Culture Department. The state government had said that due to the widening of roads under the project, the horse statue would lose its visibility in Master Canteen. Thus, it was proposed to shift the statue to outside Governor’s house for properly display of its beauty.
However, the move was challenged by Opposition parties and several other organizations. After intense protests from all quarters, the state government revoked its decision to relocate the statue which represents the might of ancient Kalinga.