Hyderabad: Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrashekhar Rao, along with BR Ambedkar’s grandson Prakash Ambedkar, unveiled the 125-foot-tall statue of Bharat Ratna Dr B R Ambedkar on the banks of Hussainsagar, near the new Secretariat complex here, on Friday, on the occasion of the latter’s 132nd birth anniversary.
Thousands of Dalits from all over the state witnessed the event as the Telangana State Road Transport Corporation (TSRTC) has operated 750 buses for the public.
Before unveiling the statue, flower petals were showered on it from a helicopter.
Claimed to be the tallest statue in the country, the iconic structure of the Ambedkar project was completed at a cost of Rs 147 crore.
The statue weighs 474 metric tonnes; while 360 metric tonnes of stainless steel were used for building the armature structure of the statue, 114 metric tonnes of bronze were used for casting the statue.
The statue was designed by renowned 98-year-old sculptor Ram Vanji Sutar.
The statue installed has three floors with a total built-up area of 26,258 sq ft. This structure housed a museum that has several articles and pictures depicting the life history of Ambedkar and a 100-seat auditorium for presenting audio-visuals of Ambedkar’s life.
The entire project premises, spread over 11 acres, have been beautified with landscape and greenery on 2.93 acres, besides providing parking for about 450 cars. There are two lifts for visitors to reach the top of the pedestal to reach Ambedkar’s feet.
The statue was adjacent to the newly built state secretariat, which has also been named after Ambedkar.
The new secretariat complex will be inaugurated on April 30.
