Notwithstanding Supreme Court’s 2013 directive against installing a statue of former Prime Minister P.V. Narasimha Rao on a road of his native village, Vangara, in Bheemadevarapalli mandal, statues of eminent personalities have since come up on the busy R&B main roads across Karimnagar town.
Neither the R&B department accorded permission for the statues, nor did the Municipal Corporation of Karimnagar (MCK) pass any resolution in the general body meeting to allow their installation.
The statues have been coming up illegally on the R&B roads due to alleged political pressures, causing serious traffic problems in an already congested town.
While the R&B roads are undergoing beautification at a cost of over ₹100 crore, illegal statues on the main roads have posed a challenge.
The Supreme Court, in January 2013, had instructed all States not to accord permission for erecting statues or construction of any structures at public places and roads which would obstruct traffic.
Smart city guidelines
Even under the Smart City project, in which Karimnagar has been included, the guidelines demand that there be no structures on the main roads.
MCK officials, requesting anonymity, said that they had not accorded permission for installation of any statue in the recent past.
“If we give permission, it will lead to contempt of court. The politicians are installing them on their own,” said an official, adding, “Once a statue is installed, we cannot remove it due to sentimental reasons.”
President of Lok Satta Udyama Samstha district unit, N. Srinivas reiterated that the Supreme Court had warned against statues on any road, including footpaths and traffic islands. “We are not opposing the installation of statues of eminent personalities, but asking the authorities to respect the law,” he said, suggesting that the statues could be put up at municipal parks or along the shores of LMD reservoir without causing traffic problems in the town.
