Ambedkar Jayanti: Chandrababu Naidu set to ‘gift’ Smriti Vanam to private players

The TDP-led NDA government is set to invite tenders under the PPP model (Public-Private Partnership) to maintain Smriti Vanam in Vijayawada, which houses the world’s tallest statue of Dr. B.R. Ambedkar. NTR District Collector G. Lakshmisha announced the decision just two days before Ambedkar Jayanti (April 14).

The 125-ft statue, christened the “Statue of Social Justice,” was built under the previous YSRCP regime on 18.81 acres of Swaraj Maidan at the cost of over ₹400 crore. Smriti Vanam also houses a museum that sheds light on the life and legacy of Dr. B.R. Ambedkar, the social reformer who chaired the committee that drafted India’s Constitution.

The government’s decision to privatize the maintenance of the statue has drawn severe backlash from scholars and political parties, including the YSRCP. The Chandrababu Naidu-led administration has been accused of commercializing Smriti Vanam, a site of immense cultural significance.

One of the first casualties of handing over maintenance to private entities is expected to be the extremely affordable entry tickets. Under the Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy-led YSRCP government, ticket prices were kept as low as ₹5 for children and ₹10 for adults.

Signs of neglect are already visible at Smriti Vanam. The coalition government has suspended the construction of a convention hall with a 2,000-person capacity and has instead been facilitating DWCRA (Development of Women and Children in Rural Areas) exhibitions in the vicinity of the statue. There are currently no plans to continue with the construction of a library, children’s play area, or other public amenities.

It has also come to light that the government is drawing up plans to divide the land originally earmarked for the convention hall and hand it over to private players.

Rather than ensuring proper sanitation and upkeep, the TDP government has focused its energies on vendetta politics, including the removal of former Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy’s name from Smriti Vanam shortly after the NDA took office.

Civil rights groups have demanded that the government withdraw its plan to hand over the maintenance of Smriti Vanam to private parties. They argue that the move will distance the common people from learning about and engaging with the legacy of Dr. B.R. Ambedkar.