Hyderabad, January 31 (INN): The State Government has decided to enforce the rules for the erection of statues across the State.
The decision was taken by the Cabinet Sub-Committee which met at the State Secretariat here on Monday. Briefing the media after the meeting, Tourism Minister Vatti Vasanth Kumar said that the government would strictly implement the GO Ms No 55 dated April 18, 2003 which laid down certain rules and regulations for the erection of statues in the State.
As per the GO, the minister said, no statue could be installed anywhere in the State without taking clearance from the local authorities. It would also be mandatory for all the elected representatives to check whether the statues have necessary permissions before they unveil them or attending those events.
The cabinet sub-committee comprising Ministers K Jana Reddy (Panchayat Raj), N Raghuveer Reddy (Revenue), B Dharmana Prasad (R&B), M Maheedhar Reddy (Municipal Administration) and Vatti Vasanth Kumar (Tourism) also discussed the recent incidents of desecration of statues. However, the committee did not make any official comment about them.
The cabinet sub-committee has also directed the Districts’ Collectors to submit a detailed report on the statues which have been erected without permission.
Vasanth Kumar assured that the State Government would soon re-install the statues which were damaged during the Telangana Million March. He admitted that the re-installation was delayed due to some problems with the tender process. However, he said that the re-installation process would be completed soon.
The minister said that demand for the installation of statue of famous tribal leader Kommaram Bheem was also under the active consideration of the government. (INN)