Nitish Kumar directed Nehru statue to be moved elsewhere

Patna: A statue of India’s first Prime Minister Pandit Jahawarlal Nehru at Patna Junction is to be shifted to some other place as it now falls directly under the newly constructed overbridge there.

The statue is being shifted on chief minister Nitish Kumar’s directive. As the area around Patna Junction has become a traffic nightmare, Nitish personally directed to shift the statue elsewhere. The district administration is now looking for an appropriate place to move it to.

Bihar Pradesh Congress Committee in-charge Kaukab Quadri admitted that changes were viable given the new constructions that are coming up, but did not approve shifting of the statue. “We request the government to reinstall the statue somewhere near the site and not shift it,” Quadri said. “Statues of great persons are not installed everyday. This statue has been there for decades, so keeping people’s sentiments in mind, the statue should not be shifted to any other place.” Patna district magistrate (DM) Kumar Ravi, however, said the statue does not look good anymore, falling directly under the newly constructed bridge. He also cited traffic congestion as another reason for shifting it. “We have received directions to shift the statue to some other place,” Ravi said. “We have also selected three-four sites for the same and soon a proposal will be sent in this regard.”

He did not disclose the sites selected for the statue. “This cannot be disclosed now,” he said. “We are searching for an appropriate place. Once the site is selected, it needs government approval. So, at this moment I cannot even give the timeframe by which the statue will be shifted. All I can say is that it will be shifted soon.”

The DM had gone to the planetarium last week to hunt for a site. Sources in his office said the planetarium is among the shortlisted places. Earlier, two sites – information and public relations department premises and the roundabout near Sinchai Bhawan – were shortlisted but no consensus could be arrived at because of the upcoming Patna Metro Rail and Lohia projects there. Jawahar Lal Path on Bailey Road is another site in consideration for the statue, sources said.

Courtesy: The Telegraph