Telugu icons' statues to get facelift by April

HYDERABAD: After years of neglect, 10 iconic statues of Telugu poets and leaders, who played key roles in social reforms, will finally be restored by April this year.Every year, GHMC authorities decorate these statues during their birth and death anniversary, but forgot the much required facelift.

"Tender process for face-lifting of statues has already been completed and instructions will be given to attend the works to the bidder. The facelift was put on hold due to election code of MLC poll. Now as the election code is over, the works will start soon. GHMC is spending 7 lakh for these works," a source in the GHMC engineering wing told TOI. By April second week, all work will be completed, said the official.The statue of prolific Telugu poet and Carnatic music composer, Kshetrayya on Tank Bund is an example of negligence at its worst. The pedestal of the statue is completely broken and stands in the face of further degradation.

The 10-feet tall statue of revolutionary Alluri Seetharama Raju, (known as hero of the jungles) is garlanded with the growth of weed around it. Similarly, statues of other icons like Shalivahana, legendary emperor of ancient India, Pothana, the Telugu poet who translated Bhagavatha Puranam from Sanskrit into Telugu, and Tanisha, ruler of Golconda along with Gurajada Appa Rao, a noted Indian playwright lies in complete neglect.

Out of 33 statues installed over three decades ago by the united Andhra Pradesh chief minister late N T Rama Rao, 12 statues were re-installed in 2012 after they were vandalised by Telangana activists during the Million March in March 2011.After the Telangana Rasthtra Samithi party came to power, another statue belonging to Komuram Bheem was also installed, pushing the number of statues to 34.