The installation of statues at Tank Bund began on Thursday night after one-and-half years when they were vandalised by Telangana protestors during the Million March.
An additional statue of Komaram Bheem, a tribal leader from Adilabad district who fought against the Nizams, has also been installed.
Director of the department of culture RV Prasada Raju said four bronze statues of Annamaiah, Gurajada Appa Rao, Sir Arthur Cotton and Kandukuri Veeresalingam were installed on Thursday.
“The task will be carried out in three phases, with four statues installed in each phase. The first phase is over now and the entire task will be completed within 10 days,” he said.
The statues, however, have not been unveiled yet. The statue of Komaram Bheem was installed on Friday. Prasada Raju said the destroyed statues will soon be fished out and will either be repaired or replaced.
“The Navy will assist us. Even if the statues cannot be repaired, they can be melted and used for making other statues,” he said.
A number of policemen have been deployed at the Tank Bund to ensure that the installation of statues was not interrupted. The cops have been posted at all the five sites where the statues were placed.
“Some of the leaders from Telangana region may argue that there aren’t enough statues from their region,” said a policeman echoing what Kavitha, TRS chief K Chandrasekhar Rao’s daughter and Telangana Jagruthi leader, had said during a protest at the Tank Bund on the day.
Kavitha, who staged a protest along with her colleagues, objected to the reinstallation of statues of Seemandhra icons and threatened to prevent it.
‘Install Statues After Consulting Telangana Experts’
HYDERABAD: Telangana Jagruti president K Kavita demanded that the state government appoint a committee of Telangana intellectuals and experts and get its opinion before taking a final decision on installation of statues on the Tank Bund.
Speaking at a protest programme organised at Tank Bund on Friday to oppose the government’s decision to re-install the statues.
she wondered if the government was trying to supress other Telugu personalities of the region by installing only Komaram Bheem’s statue.