Bengaluru

KarnatakaChief Minister D K Shivakumar on Tuesday announced that this year’s Nadaprabhu Kempegowda Jayanti will be celebrated at the newly developed Kempegowda Layout on June 27.He said the Bengaluru Development Authority (BDA), under the leadership of its chairman N A Haris, will plant 1.5 million saplings across the city and a newly constructed road in the layout will also be inaugurated on the occasion.

Shivakumar was speaking to the media after a preparatory meeting for the celebrations held at the Vidhana Soudha here. Nadaprabhu Kempegowda founded the city of Bengaluru. “As every year, a preparatory meeting was convened to discuss the celebrations. The event’s framework was discussed with various organisations. Separate processions will arrive from the city’s four Kempegowda towers,” he said.

The chief minister said that Ministers Ramalinga Reddy, Krishna Byre Gowda, K J George and Byrathi Suresh will be responsible for the four towers. Minister K H Muniyappa will oversee the programme at Kempegowda International Airport.

Preparatory work in parts of Bengaluru will be coordinated under the leadership of Minister Gowda, he said. Shivakumar said preparations are underway to establish a Town Planning College named after Kempegowda on the campus of Visvesvaraya Technological University. He said that Jayanti celebrations will be held in every Assembly constituency, and a grant of Rs 1 lakh will be released for each. “On another day, similar programmes will be organised in Bengaluru’s 369 wards, with Rs 1 lakh being provided for each ward through the Greater Bengaluru Authority (GBA). The date for these ward-level events will be decided by Bengaluru city ministers. Several suggestions were received during the meeting,” he added.