Shastri will return to Panavila

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: If things go as planned, former Prime Minister Lal Bahadur Shastri will return to Panavila Junction this month. And hopefully, Shastriji would get a better, greener home.The bust of the former Prime Minister was removed from its location at Panavila Junction a few months ago to facilitate widening of the road. Now that the widening works are complete, the bust will be reinstated, according to the authorities.The reinstallation has been tentatively planned for August 28, depending on the schedule of Chief Minister Oommen Chandy, who is to unveil the bust, Thampanoor ward councillor R Harikumar said.A renovated traffic island and landscaped environs are also planned at Panavila Junction modelled on the University College Junction, where a statue of Pattom Thanu Pillai stands, said Anilkumar Pandala, vice-president, Thiruvananthapuram Road Development Company Limited (TRDCL).The bust is presently undergoing basic maintenance. The statue will be positioned within the landscaped island, he said.The bust has been a noted landmark of the city for more than three decades and is said to have been crafted by a student of the College of Fine Arts, Thiruvananthapuram."It was installed at the junction by the Shastri Memorial Arts and Sports Club in 1966. Some 22 years later, it was subjected to another reinstallation as the statue got slightly disfigured after it was hit by a transport bus. Sunil Shastri, son of Lal Bahadur Shastri, garlanded the statue during a visit to Thiruvananthapuram. That was some 20 years ago,’’ said V Anirudhan of Panavila, who was then a member of the club.Several months ago, the bust was in the news after it was found in a neglected condition and partly hidden by weeds and other vegetation.