Koppula Eshwar directs officials to expedite work on Ambedkar statue

Koppula Eshwar directed officials to complete the construction work of the 125-foot statue of Dr B R Ambedkar near Tank Bund

Hyderabad: Welfare Minister Koppula Eshwar directed officials to complete the construction work of the 125-foot statue of Dr B R Ambedkar near Tank Bund to make ready for inauguration on April 14, the birth anniversary of Ambedkar.

Eshwar on Monday visited the statue site and inspected the ongoing works. He asked officials and authorities of the company entrusted with the job to complete all the work by April 5 so that it could be inaugurated on April 14. He checked the auditorium, water fountain and landscaping works.

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Officials told the minister that 90 per cent of the construction work of the Ambedkar statue had already been completed and that the rest would be completed as per schedule.

They informed that the construction work of elevation, memorial, central library and fountain around the statue was going on and that a Parliament-like structure was being constructed at the bottom of the statue.

The project, spread across 11.4 acres, adjoining the banks of the Hussain Sagar and the new Telangana State secretariat named after Dr Ambedkar, is estimated to cost Rs.146 crore.

Around 111 tonnes of bronze is used for casting the outer cladding while non-corrosive stainless steel armature or framework is built into a reinforced concrete core pedestal for the statue’s internal strength.

The statue was designed by renowned sculptors Ram Vanji Sutar, a recipient of Padma Shri and Padma Bhushan awards, and his son Anil Ram Sutar.