One-and-a-half months after inauguration, Dr BR Ambedkar statue near Hussain Sagar is yet to be opened for public.
The 125-feet statue was inaugurated by Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao on April 14 marking the birth anniversary of the architect of the Indian Constitution.
This reporter visited the statue built with steel and bronze, also the tallest Ambekar statue in India. Addressing a query regarding the statue being open to the public, a few police officers guarding the site said, “It may take another month or so, since a museum is being constructed on its premises.”
While the statue is yet to be opened to the public, a few couples and families stopped by to click pictures in front of it. Expressing pleasure over the setting up of of the statue, Rajashekhar said, “It is a magnificent statue of the man who showed us the significance of education, looking forward to visiting the museum.”
Satish, an ice-cream vendor said, “Even though the monument is yet to be opened to the public, there is a good footfall on the weekend. It also gives me good business.”
Arvind, a sugarcane juice vendor said, “It is nice to have a statue here. Some of us find it tough to do business at the Hussain Sagar due to competitors. I hope our business can flourish once this is open for public.”
The statue is surrounded with a cloth at the bottom and one can here constant hammering during the day. Towards the right of the entrance is a cemented counter which is not under use at the moment. The parking space for visitors is under construction towards the left of the statue.
Though the site is still under construction, visitors have been littering its surrounding area with ice-crèam wrappers, plastic spoons and glasses. This coupled with the water leaking from tankers being used at the site is an issue that needs to be addressed.
