Berhampur, Nov 24 (PTI) A bronze statue of former PM Atal Bihari Vajpayee will be installed in Odisha's Ganjam district, the BJP said on Sunday.

BJP MLA K Anil Kumar laid the foundation stone for the project at the Ramalingam Park in Berhampur.

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The total height of the statue would be 17 feet, with a base of 6.5 feet.

Several BJP leaders, including former deputy speaker Ram Chandra Panda and Berhampur's Mayor Sanghamitra Dalei, attended the function.

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Kumar said around Rs 20 lakh would be needed for the statue, and it would be spent from his Local Area Development (LAD) Fund.

"We are targeting to unveil the statue on December 25, the birth anniversary of the former prime minister," he said

A local sculptor has been entrusted to make the statue on a war footing, he added.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)