In an effort to remove the footprints of Andhra leaders in Hyderabad city, Telangana government is planning foolproof arrangements. TDP founder NT Ramarao is going to be the first casualty. A sprawling garden, named after NT Ramarao is going to disappear soon. In its place Dr Babasabhe Amebdkar park will emerge . A cabinet committee headed deputy CM Kadiyam Srihari took a decision to this effect.
The Hyderabad city is dotted by memorials of important political leaders from Andhra region. This practice began from 1956 when the city had become the capital of newly formed Andhra Pradesh.Some of the important landmarks are named of Sanjeevaiah, Kasu Brahmanand Reddy, NT Ramarao, Kotla Vijayabhaskar Reddy, Balayogi, YS Rajasekhar Reddy etc.
Opposition to cultural domination of Andhras over Hyderabad landscape was one of the rallying cries of Telangana separate movement. Their argument was that the symbols of Telangana struggles and culture- which basically fall in the folk tradition, were not recognized as worth preserving then. Now the T-government wants to free Hyderabad from the grip of Andhra cultural domination. So far the name-change has been limited smaller things. Now major landmarks are being targeted.
The process appears to be starting from NTR gardens. The T-government has decided to develop a 36 acre Ambedkar park as a major tourist attraction in the state capital. The project is going to diminish the significance NTR ghat as a 125 ft Ambedkar statue will be unveiled there by chief minister K Chandrasekhar Rao on April 14,2017. The NTR memory will be restricted to the ghat alone once the Ambedkar park takes a shape. According to sources in government’ culture department, though there is no immediate proposal to rename other landmarks, it would be taken up soon, probably once the AP government moves to Amaravati.
Clarification from deputy CM Kadiyam
Meantime, deputy chief minister Kadiayan Srihari sought clear the confusion over the location of Ambedkar Memorial. ” There won’t be any problem for the NTR memorial from the Ambedkar memorial. The four acres, allocated for the NTR memorial would remain intact,” he said and added that Bhumi Puja would be performed on April 14.. The NTR garden is developed on 34 acres in phases. So, the remaining 30 acres would be used for the development of Amdedkar Park.
