Traders are opposing the move to install a Nehru statue at APMC Yard in Kalaburagi

Members of the Grain and Seed Traders Association stage a protest against the installation of a statue of late Jawaharlal Nehru at APMC Yard in Kalaburagi on Tuesday. | Photo credit: ARUN KULKARNI

Traders and members of various organizations here on Tuesday protested against the proposed installation of a statue of former prime minister late Jawaharlal Nehru in the premises of the Agricultural Produce Market Committee (APMC) Yard.

The Gunj Market area witnessed a bandh as traders closed business establishments and suspended commercial activities in protest.

The protesters took out a padayatra to the APMC office and submitted a memorandum to the authorities.

The protesters demanded that the site where the old administrative building once stood be used to construct a modern, computerized tender hall and new administrative offices for the benefit of farmers and traders.

In a memorandum submitted to the APMC, Foodgrains and Seeds Merchants Association president Santosh Langer and honorary secretary Basavaraj H. Tadkal said the earlier administration building, constructed in 1947, was demolished due to dilapidation.

They said the government has already started administrative and technical procedures for the construction of a new tender hall and office complex at the same site.

During a site inspection by Agriculture Minister N. Chaluvarayaswamy in December 2025, representatives of the traders’ association urged the authorities to keep the proposed building on the existing site.

The revised proposal with an estimated cost of ₹ 4.98 crore was subsequently approved in the general meeting, association members said.

Protesters have expressed concern over reports that preparations are underway to install a statue of the late Jawaharlal Nehru at the site. They said the move may lead to shifting of necessary administrative facilities elsewhere, causing inconvenience to farmers and traders.

Former president of the association Shrimant Udnoor said the traders strongly opposed the proposal. They will continue to agitate against the installation of the statue.

President of Kalyana Karnataka Pratyeka Rajya Horata Samiti MS Patil Naribol said that work related to the proposed statue was started without the approval of APMC authorities and demanded that it be stopped immediately.

Published – 26 May 2026 21:23 IST