125-feet Ambedkar statue unveiling in Hyderabad to be grand affair

The unveiling of a 125-foot statue of Dr B. R. Ambedkar in Hyderabad on his birth anniversary on April 14 will be a grand affair. Telangana Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao will unveil the tallest bronze statue of Ambedkar near Hussain Sagar Lake in the heart of the city in the presence of thousands of people who will be mobilized from across the state.

The state government has invited Ambedkar's grandson Prakash Ambedkar as the chief guest for the unveiling ceremony. Flowers will be showered from a special helicopter on the statue during the unveiling to pay tribute to the architect of the Indian Constitution. As part of the unveiling, a huge crane will be used to remove the curtain on the statue and garland it with a giant garland made of roses, white chrysanthemums and betel leaves. Only Buddhist monks will be invited for the ceremony to be conducted in their traditional way.

Chief Minister KCR has directed that the unveiling be celebrated as a grand, historic ceremony and with a fervour that makes the nation proud. A public meeting will follow the unveiling ceremony. It will be addressed by Chief Minister KCR, Prakash Ambedkar and state welfare minister Koppula Eshwar.

Arrangements will be made to ensure that 35,700 people from all 119 constituencies attend the ceremony with 300 people from each constituency. A total of 750 buses of the Road Transport Corporation will be booked for public transport. In addition to Secretariat staff, officers, heads of all departments, district collectors, state Ministers, MPs, MLCs, MLAs, State Corporation chairpersons should attend this programme, the chief minister said.

Authorities will make arrangements to distribute one lakh sweet packets, one-and-a-half lakh butter milk packets and the same water packets among participants. Ambedkar statue architect Ram Vanji Sutar from Maharashtra will be felicitated on behalf of the state government. KCR, who reviewed the arrangements at a high-level meeting, extolled Ambedkar for delivering social economic justice and bringing equal justice in all sectors to all sections with his vision. Ambedkar made India proud worldwide as he sacrificed his entire life for a big cause, he said.

The Chief Minister noted that Ambedkar incorporated Article 3 for separate states during the drafting of the Constitution, which paved the way for realisation of Telangana state. He said that India's tallest statue of Dr Ambedkar, which is next to the State Secretariat, opposite to Buddha statue and located beside the Telangana Martyrs memorial, will inspire people every day and motivate the entire state administration.

The CM recalled that since the decision was taken to erect the statue of Ambedkar, it took at least two years to finalize technical and manufacturing measures. "The installation of the statue turned out to be more wonderful than what we had imagined," KCR said. He praised the statue sculptor 98-year-old Padma Bhushan, Ram Vanji Sutar for making such a big effort. CM KCR said that the state secretariat is named after Ambedkar with the great determination of public representatives and the entire government machinery to work for the realisation of Ambedkar's aspirations.

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