The state government is likely to unveil on AP Formation Day on November 1 the new statues of historical figures from the Andhra region on Tank Bund in place of those vandalised by protesters during the Million March in 2010.
Four of the 12 statues were installed on the pedestals by the department of culture on Friday. These statues are those of icons such as Annamaya, Guruzada Appa Rao, Kandakuri Veeresalingam and Katam Dora.
Interestingly, the authorities have separately installed the statue of Telangana tribal leader Komaram Bheem in front of Viceroy Hotel on Tank Bund.
Chief minister Kiran Kumar Reddy is slated to inaugurate Komaram Bheem’s statue on October 29 on the occasion of the tribal leader’s death anniversary.
“The statues are created by renowned sculptor Arun Prasad Wadayar, who hails from Natta Rameswaram village of West Godavari district. Government is spending nearly Rs 50 lakh on these statues all of which are nine feet tall,” Kavitha Prasad, director of the department of culture, told TOI.
Statues of Krishnadevaraya, Tripuraneni Ramaswamy Chaudary, Mutnuri Krishna Rao, Raghupathi Venkataratnam Naidu, Brahma Nayudu, Erra Pragada, Siddhendra Yogi and Bellary Raghava will also be re-installed in a phased manner, he said.
After the statues are placed, the authorities are likely to beef up security on Tank Bund. Central zone ACP Chandrasekhar Reddy said round-the-clock patrolling will be carried out post inauguration. Security will comprise one Rakshak vehicle, a motorcycle patrolling team and around 15 constables.
Meanwhile, Telangana Jagruti president K Kavitha said the new statues of the icons will not be allowed to be installed on Tank Bund until the state authorities hold discussions with people and parties of all the three regions.
“We have no objection to the installation of statues of Seemandhra icons. However, there should be a discussion with the leaders of the three regions. Otherwise, we will not allow the inauguration to take place on November 1,” she said. The same sentiments were echoed by TJAC convenor M Kodandaram.
–COurtesy:TOI
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