Vijayawada: Social welfare minister Merugu Nagarjuna on Wednesday reviewed the progress of 125-feet-tall Dr. B.R. Ambedkar statue coming up at Swaraj Maidan in Vijayawada.
He said the budget for installing the statue has gone up from ₹100 crore to ₹285 crore. Despite it, all efforts are being made to ensure that the statue is unveiled by Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy on April 14, 2023.
Speaking on the occasion, Nagarjuna asserted that theirs is not a government that runs away after making promises but stands by them. He observed that the previous Telugu Desam government invoked Ambedkar only at the time of elections and relegated his statue in an area of thorns and bushes in Amaravati.
However, the YSRC government is instead establishing a 125-feet-statue of the leader in the heart of the city. The minister maintained that the statue will be unlike any other in the country. The statue and the place where it is erected will ensure that people remember the Father of Indian Constitution for generations to come.
Nagarjuna instructed officials at the review meeting to ensure that all works on the 125-feet tall Ambedkar statue are completed well in advance of April 14, 2023, when the Chief Minister will inaugurate the statue.
Principal secretary (Social Welfare) R. Jayalakshmi, NTR district collector S. Dilli Rao, social welfare director K. Harshavardhan, VMC commissioner Swapnil Dinkar, APIIC engineer-in-chief Srinivas Prasad and KPC Projects director Vasudeva Rao were among those who attended the review meeting.
