Jagan asks officials to complete work on 125ft Ambedkar statue on time

Amaravati: Chief Minister Y.S Jagan Mohan Reddy on Friday instructed officials to form a high-level committee to monitor the progress of Dr BR Ambedkar Smriti Vanam at Swaraj Maidan in Vijayawada.

During a review meeting here on Friday, the Chief Minister asked officials to expedite the works to ensure that the 125-feet bronze statue of Dr BR Ambedkar is inaugurated on 14 April, on Ambedkar’s birth anniversary, as scheduled.

The statue, made of 352 metric tons of steel and 112 metric tons of brass, will be installed on an 81-feet pedestal, taking the total length to 206 feet.

The Rs. 268 crore Smriti Vanam Project will have ground plus two floors on the pedestal besides a 2,000-capacity Convention Center with spacious car and bus parking facility. When the officials told Jagan that arrangements have been made to complete the casting of the statue by 31 March, the CM told them that the quality of the work is non-negotiable. He told them the progress should be monitored by a committee which is to be constituted.

Parts of the statue have been completed and they will be shifted to the project site by 31 January, the officials told the CM. The beautification works at the project site and along the roads leading to it are also in full swing, they further said.