Following strong resentment and opposition from various sections over the plan to shift the iconic Konark warrior horse statue from Master Canteen Square, theOdishagovernment has now changed its decision. The statue made by noted sculptor, lateRaghunath Mohapatra, will not be shifted from its original place. Rather, the statue will be repaired and the podium will be revamped.
TheBhubaneswar Smart City Limited(BSCL) had sought permission from the culture department to shift the statue from Master Canteen Square to Raj Bhawan Square to make way for development projects in the smart city. The said that due to various developmental projects coming up around the same place, the iconic horse statue is likely to lose visibility so it would be shifted in front of Raj Bhawan Square.
The 18ftx15ft statue made in 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.