Overview
- Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar led Saturday's 517th Kempegowda Jayanti, paid floral tributes at the 108-foot Statue of Prosperity and launched a citywide 15-lakh sapling plantation drive.
- The government said it has drawn up a ₹1.25 lakh crore package for Bengaluru and set targets to link the Metro to the airport within a year and grow the Metro network to about 500 kilometres in two years.
- Officials have begun acquiring 10 acres near Kempegowda’s samadhi at Magadi, with 5.5 acres already bought, and approved a ₹100 crore comprehensive development plan for Kempegowda Fort.
- The state has asked the Airport Authority to prepare plans to improve the statue’s visibility and create visitor facilities near the trumpet interchange while the nearby theme park will be maintained and opened soon.
- Political leaders used the Jayanti to claim credit and continuity for past and future projects, and the announcements aim to address pressure from Bengaluru’s rapid growth—about 1.4 crore people and 1.3 crore registered vehicles—but funding, agency coordination and delivery timetables remain unresolved.