Martyrs’ Memorial inauguration today: CM KCR to announce more sops for kin of martyrs

Hyderabad: The Telangana Government is likely to make a few announcements for the welfare of the families of those who had become martyrs in the struggle for separate state.

Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao, who would be inaugurating the Telangana Martyrs’ Memorial on Thursday, will roll out some more benefits, and will felicitate families of martyrs. The CM will also felicitate Shankaramma, mother of Srikantha Chary who sacrificed his life. The possibility of nominating Shankaramma for the Legislative Council under the Governor’s quota is also not ruled out, party sources said. KCR had invited her to participate in the inauguration of the martyrs’ memorial. Meanwhile, the administration has made elaborate arrangements for the inauguration of the oval-shaped mirror-finish structure with a giant reddish-yellow flame atop the Martyrs’ Memorial opposite the State Secretariat on the concluding day of the formation day's decennial celebrations.

The new Telangana Martyrs’ Memorial has been constructed at a cost of Rs 179 crore and is deemed to be the world’s largest seamless stainless-steel structure. Eminent sculptor M Venkata Ramana Reddy conceived the design and supervised the project. A lamp is there as a tribute to the sacrifices of statehood martyrs. Leaders said that the Chief Minister reviewed the welfare programmes implemented by the government for the martyrs' families during the last nine years and decided to announce some more sops for them.

According to officials, around 1,200 martyrs have been identified and most of them have been given the financial benefit. Employment was also provided to the kin of some martyrs. The demand for pension for the martyrs’ families and housing for all of them has been pending. KCR is likely to make an announcement in this regard at the public meeting after the inauguration of the memorial.

Meanwhile, Chief Secretary Santhi Kumari ordered all district collectors and officials to attend the memorial day programme organized in all Mandal Parishad, Zilla Parishad and Municipal offices and observe silence for 2 minutes in memory of the sacrifices of the martyrs.