Eternal flame of sacrifice: The ₹177.5-crore Telangana Martyrs’ Memorial has a 10,000 sq.ft. hall for display of photos of martyrs, two lakh sq.ft. basement parking, 500-capacity convention centre, an audio-visual theatre, and a rooftop restaurant.
| Photo Credit: NAGARA GOPAL
The stage is set for the inauguration of the Telangana Martyrs’ Memorial, one of the flagship projects of Chief Minister K.Chandrasekhar Rao built in the memory of people who sacrificed their lives for the cause of separate statehood.
Constructed at a cost of ₹177.5 crore and spread over 3.29 acres right opposite the new secretariat complex, the stainless steel structure has a built-up area of 2.88 lakh sq.ft. It has six floors of varying heights including two basement floors. The elliptical diya (lamp) atop the structure has a major axis length of 54 metres and minor axis of 37 metres. The height of the diya is 26 metres on one side and 18 metres on the other with a flame structure of 26 metres from the terrace level. The overall height of the flame is 45 metres from the ground level.
The memorial has a 10,000 sq.ft. hall for the display of the photos of martyrs, two lakh sq.ft. basement parking, 500 capacity convention centre, 70-seater audio-visual theatre, and a rooftop restaurant, among others. “It is the largest stainless steel seamless finished structure in the world. Chicago bean is about 40% in size compared to our monument,” a senior Roads and Buildings department official said.
The Chief Minister will formally inaugurate the memorial on Thursday evening and the inaugural ceremony would be preceded by a rally of over 5,000 artistes from the 125-foot Dr.B.R. Ambedkar statue to the memorial.
The State government has declared a holiday on Thursday for the parks abutting the martyrs’ memorial including the Lumbini Park, NTR Ghat and NTR Garden forming part of the Buddha Purnima project.