Hyderabad, August 25: The state government will go ahead with the ‘Smriti Vanam’ project at Pavuarala Gutta in the Nallamala forest in Kurnool district, where former chief minister YS Rajasekhara Reddy had died in a helicopter crash, without any clearances from the Union environment and forest department.
“The memorial, which will come up on 3,000 acres of forest land, needs no clearances since there will be no permanent construction,’’ is the argument of forest minister P Ramachandra Reddy. The minister stated that the memorial would be constructed in a “forest-friendly’’ manner.
Speaking with reporters at a press conference at the Secretariat here today, he said the chief minister would lay the foundation for the memorial on September 2, the first death anniversary of the former chief minister. He, however, did not indicate whether the foundation would be laid at Pavuarala Gutta or a site near Atmakur where another memorial was proposed by the government.
Forest department officials denied reports that the Union government rejected the state government’s proposal on a memorial at Pavuarala Gutta. Differing with the statement of the minister, they said there was no proposal with the department on building a memorial at the crash site.
–Agencies