Mysuru: Karnataka Exhibition Authority (KEA) chairman R Murthy opined that the Dasara Exhibition Grounds would be the ideal place for the Mahatma Gandhi Memorial or bhavan instead of Freedom Fighters Park, which was earlier suggested.

Murthy, who completes his tenure as the chairman of KEA on Wednesday, said that he will submit a memorandum to Chief Minister Siddaramaiah in this regard soon. “The government had planned to develop Gandhi Bhavan at Freedom Fighters Park in the city at a cost of Rs 3 crore. But the Exhibition Grounds, which is abuzz with activity only during Dasara, can be turned into a permanent tourist spot with the memorial, which can also generate revenue, he suggested. Recently, a team of KEA had also visited Mahatma Mandir Convention and Exhibition Centre in Ahmedabad, to study the structure developed on 34 acres of land,” he said.

In addition, the government has agreed to develop a Tourism Plaza on two acres of land on the Exhibition Grounds at a cost of Rs 1.69 crore. It will have a food court, rest rooms, parking area and also provide information of tourist spots in the district. The government had earlier decided to develop the plaza near the ring road but has now settled for the Exhibition Grounds, he said.

The Cauvery Museum, which is being developed at Kannada Karanji Building at the grounds, will be open to public by December this year. The museum, being developed at a cost of Rs 3.5 crore, will showcase the origin, history and significance of River Cauvery. KEA chief executive officer (CEO) N M Shashikumar said, “A team from National Academy of Sciences-India (NASI) and National Council of Science Museums (NCSM), had visited Kannada Karanji Building at Dasara Exhibition Grounds recently.”

In order to meet the international standards, the state Tourism department has planned to upgrade the Dasara Exhibition Grounds and has asked the KEA to submit a master plan, which will be forwarded to the ministry soon. Murthy said, “The Minister for Tourism Priyank Kharge has asked the authority to submit a plan and also ensured sanctioning required funds. Even Chief Minister Siddaramaiah had promised to sanction funds for the development of the grounds and it was announced in the budget earlier.”

“This time, Dasara exhibition will be organised for 86 days, starting from October 1. Participants from parts of the state and neighbouring states will have stalls on the premises. Tenders have been already floated and will be finalised soon,” Murthy said.

An amusement area with various attractions for children and for elders will be developed. Various government agencies will set up stalls to publicise their achievements and projects. The authorities will erect more than 300 stalls this Dasara, he added.

Parking Plaza, which is being developed on the premises of Dasara Exhibition Grounds, will be ready before Dasara festival which begins from October 1.

Speaking to reporters, Karnataka Exhibition Authority chairman R Murthy said, “The parking lot coming up on 10 acres of land, has almost been completed and the plaza will be open to public before Mysuru Dasara.”

The plaza is being developed at a cost of Rs 4 crore to provide vehicle parking space for the zoo visitors. The entry will be provided from MG Road and as many as 500 cars, 800 two-wheelers and 30 buses can be parked at the plaza. Adding to this, two hi-tech toilets, an arch and an entry gate will be developed, he added.