Nagpur : The Orange City, which has very few landmarks to be identified with, will soon have a grand artwork atop Sitabuldi Metro station that can be later termed as the identity of Nagpur. Giving this information, MahaMetro managing director Brijesh Dixit said the artwork will be known as what Qutub Minar is to Delhi and Charminar is to Hyderabad. “We want to give a modern identity to the city.
Nagpur should be identified with the artwork,” he said. The MD said the artwork will be a collective work of MahaMetro officials and the architect, who designed the new Airport Metro station. The architect is from Nagpur, Dixit said, adding MahaMetro is confident of completing it within months and tenders will be floated once the estimate is finalized.
Dixit further said the height of Sitabuldi station is 40 metre, which means it is about 10-storey high. “The height of the artwork known as, ‘Crown of Nagpur’, will be 14m. It will thus be visible from a very long distance. The best view will be available from the Sitabuldi flyover, terraces of buildings in Sitabuldi and those travelling by Metro. Commuters at Sitabuldi station would get an interior view,” he said.
“The artwork will be 35-metre-long and 25-metre-wide. The base will be in the shape of an inverted flower with a crown over it and a transparent dome below the crown. A 2-metre-high 360 degree LED display will also be a part of the artwork which will be used for advertisements and generate revenue for MahaMetro,” the MD said and added that the crown would be made of steel. The inverted flower, Dixit said, will be made of steel and polycarbonate. “The polycarbonate sheets will be lit with blue lights to give it an aqua theme and the dome will be a polycarbonate one.
“We want to give a modern identity to the city. Nagpur should be identified with the artwork. It would like what Qutub Minar is to Delhi and Charminar is to Hyderabad,” said Dixit. Even though the cost of the artwork is being worked out, MahaMetro is confident of completing it within months. Tenders will be floated once the estimate is finalized.
Dixit described the artwork as a collective work of MahaMetro officials and the architect. “This architect had designed our New Airport Metro station, which also have a polycarbonate dome. He is from Nagpur,” he said. MahaMetro also plans an open air restaurant on the terrace of the Sitabuldi station which is not occupied by the artwork. “It will be run by a private contractor. People changing trains can have a cup of tea and snacks there. They can also marvel at the artwork from the restaurant,” Dixit said.
