Bengaluru (Karnataka) [India], August 10 (ANI): Union Minister of State (MoS) for Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises and Labour and Employment, Shobha Karandlaje, has written to Karnataka Chief Minister Siddharamaiah requesting urgent action to protect and develop the memorial of veteran actor Dr Vishnuvardhan at Abhiman Studio in Bengaluru.

In her letter, Karandlaje described Dr. Vishnuvardhan as a 'great actor, Padma Bhushan awardee, culture lover' whose contributions made Kannada and Karnataka known nationwide.

She wrote, 'Renowned as 'Sahasasimha' in the film world of Karnataka, he won the limelight. Great actor, Padma Bhushan awardee, culture lover, Vishnuvardhan's service and contributions cannot be forgotten. He was a great person who introduced the name of Kannada and Karnataka across the country.

She called the memorial a 'center of emotional inspiration' for Kannada fans and expressed concern over recent reports that the memorial site was destroyed overnight.

Vishnuvardhan's memorial at Abhiman Studio, located in Bengaluru, serves as a centre of emotional inspiration for Kannada fans. But recently, the site where the monument is situated has been destroyed overnight by some claiming it as their rightful land, which has brought great pain to all of us,' Karandlaje wrote.

Karandlaje requested that the Karnataka CM preserve the Dr Vishnuvardhan Memorial and develop it as a national-level tourist attraction, art village, and symbol of Kannada culture.

'I request that the Vishnuvardhan Memorial be preserved forever and developed as a national level tourist attraction, an art village for art exhibition and training and a symbol of Kannada culture In this context, I request the government to immediately acquire the said land through the Department of Kannada and Culture and give fair compensation to the land owners as per the government rules,' she wrote.

Earlier on Sunday, Karandlaje said that the inauguration of the new metro line in Bengaluru will enable over 6 lakh people to commute daily through the yellow line of the 'Namma Metro'.

Karandlaje said, 'This area used to experience a lot of traffic. It wasn't easy even for the ambulance to reach here... Now more than 6 lakh people will be able to travel daily through this yellow metro line, which will reduce traffic and open up that route.' (ANI)