Vijayawada city in Andhra Pradesh to have 125 feet bronze statue of Dr B R Ambedkar on a sprawling Swaraj Maidan grounds in heart of the city. The statue would come up on a two-storeyed pedestal building.

The project is costing Rs 268 crore for the state government and it would be inaugurated by chief minister Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy on April 14, this year, marking the birth anniversary of Dr Ambedkar.

The chief minister during a review meeting on the project told the officials to form a high-level committee to monitor the progress of Dr BR Ambedkar Smriti Vanam works.

The officials informed him that the statue, to be made with 352 metric tons of steel and 112 metric tons of brass, would be installed on an 81-feet pedestal taking the total length to 206 feet.

The Rs 268 crore worth Smriti Vanam Project will have ground plus two floors in the pedestal part besides a 2000-capacity Convention Center with spacious car and bus parking facility.

When the officials told him that arrangements have been made to complete the casting of the statue by March 31, he said that the quality of works is non-negotiable, and the progress of works should be monitored by a committee to be constituted.

For some of the parts of the statue, the casting has been completed which would be shifted to the project site by January 31, they explained, adding that the beautification works at the project site and on all roads leading to it are also in full swing.