The Chief Minister of Hyderabad, K Chandrasekhar Rao, will unveil a new statue of Dr BR Ambedkar on Friday. The statue is 125 feet tall and is the tallest statue of Dr BR Ambedkar in India. It will be located at Necklace Road and will become a new icon of the city. The inauguration will take place on the birth anniversary of Dr BR Ambedkar.
The statue has been designed by artist Ram Sutar and took one year to make. It consists of over 300 tonnes of steel and 100 tonnes of bronze. The cost of the project is Rs 146.50 crore. The statue will be open to the public and there will be no entry fee.
The statue has a circular-based building at its entrance, similar to India’s Parliament building. The first floor of this building will have a museum and photo exhibition. The statue has been installed on top of the museum. The premise has two elevators for visitors to reach the topmost part. The height of the pedestal is 50 feet and the diameter is 172 feet. The built-up area of the pedestal structure is 2,066 sq ft on the lower ground floor and 15,200 sq ft on the ground floor.
Special arrangements have been made for presenting audio-visual clips on the life of Baba Saheb in the hall beneath the statue. Apart from a museum and gallery exhibiting important life events of Dr BR Ambedkar, special landscaping and greenery has been designed in 2.93 acres. There is also a parking area where 450 cars can be parked.
The statue will be an inspiration to future chief ministers who will be working in the nearby Secretariat. A public meeting will be held at 3 pm adjacent to the statue. Ambedkar’s grandson Prakash Ambedkar will be the chief guest at the event. About 40,000 people including intellectuals, Buddhists and others are expected to participate in the unveiling of the statue.
