Flame of Statehood Stir Will Glow Forever: KCR

Hyderabad: Chief Minister K. Chandrashekar Rao on Thursday inaugurated the Telangana Martyrs Memorial Centre and said that the monument, constructed on the banks of Hussainsagar, will keep alive the flame of the ‘Telangana agitation’ and ‘Telangana spirit’ forever.

He also emphasised the importance of the memorial’s location, as it was from here (Jala Drushyam) in 2001 that Chandrashekar Rao had launched the TRS to embark on a struggle for statehood.

“Jala Drushyam was the residence of veteran freedom fighter Konda Laxman Bapuji. He allowed us to use his residence as the TRS office. After TRS won a good number of seats in zilla parishad and mandal parishad elections in Telangana in 2001, the then government of undivided AP took over the building, threw away all our belongings and razed the building in our absence. I decided to build the Telangana Martyrs Memorial at the same place, where the Telangana agitation was humiliated,” Rao said.

Countering allegations of inordinate delay in its construction, Rao said: “The delay was on account of my plans that this structure should be unique. I examined martyrs memorials in China, Singapore and Malaysia etc., and consulted engineers Finally, we zeroed in on a huge elliptical shaped mirror-finished structure built in the form of a lamp (diya) with a giant reddish yellow metallic flame atop. Engineers told me that this design would be expensive, but I opted for this structure, which is the largest seamless stainless-steel memorial built in the world, at a cost of ₹179 crore.”

The Chief Minister said that the flame atop the structure will continue to glow and reflect the spirit of those who had fought for statehood. “It will stand not just as a memorial for their sacrifices, but also an inspiration to the future generations,” he said.

Rao said that the Hussainsagar has become a landmark for Hyderabad, with its grandiose new Secretariat, 125-ft Ambedkar Statue, Buddha Statue and now, the Telangana Martyrs Memorial.

He said the state government will ensure that any visiting national or international dignitary visits the memorial and pays tribute before embarking on their activities.