The works of Dr. B. R. Ambedkar Memorial Park coming up at Swarjya Maidan in Vijayawada are progressing at a snail’s pace. The project cost has also escalated again.
Though the work picked up pace in April, sweltering weather in the summer until two days ago has reportedly slowed it down.
As per the revised deadline, the statue is supposed to be completed by June 15 and the entire Park is to be completed by July 15.
A few days ago, parts of the 125-foot statue such as face, head, constitution book and others arrived at the site from workshops located at multiple places. A total of 13 parts have to be assembled on the framework to form the statue.
Workers are patching up the parts which will be later installed on the stainless-steel armature framework. Also, works related to the convention hall, museum, colonnade and others are going on.
Currently, the armature framework has been raised to the waist level of the statue and the legs of the bronze statue are formed. By the end of March, the framework was raised up to 50 ft.
VMC Commissioner Swapnil Dinkar Pundkar has been frequently inspecting the site. He inspected the works on Saturday along with officials. He asked the officials concerned to speed up the works and complete them before the deadline.
Minister for Social Welfare Merugu Nagarjuna recently inspected the site and inspected the face and other parts. He said the statue and park were being built at ₹400 crore. Mr. Nagarjuna said works would be completed within the stipulated timeframe.
Initially, the project cost was set at ₹100 crore and it was escalated to ₹265 crore and then to ₹400 crore.
