Bengaluru: Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Thursday wrote a letter to Union Finance Minster Arun Jaitley seeking a grant of Rs 500 crore for organizing the upcoming Mahamastakabhisheka at Shravanabelagola during February 2018.
The chief minister, in the letter, said the grant would be used judiciously to create temporary and permanent infrastructure like roads, water supply, shelters, temporary accommodation etc., which could be used by devotees and dignitaries and tourists thronging the place during and after Mahamastakabhisheka. “The grant shall also be used to take up various projects like preserving hills, establishing a higher seat of education for Prakrit languages, and establishing a library and research centre for historians, etc.,’’ the chief minister said.
He said the state government would leave no stone unturned to make this holy event a grand success. “I urge the Central government to join hands in the mammoth task of providing infrastructure to facilitate smooth conduct of the ceremony and also service to the pilgrims in a professional manner,’’ he said.