1412 hectares of dense forest is going to be destroyed for YSR Memorial.

I was praying that people don't come out with this idea. Jaganmohan Reddy MP and son of former CM YSR Reddy, wants to create a memorial in the dense forests where the chopper crashed. 1412 hectares of dense forest is going to be destroyed. Hope this madness can be stopped.

Sabyasachi

The detailed news in CNN-IBN is reproduced below.

AP to build Rs 300 cr memorial for YSR at crash site
Preeti Singh / CNN-IBN

Hyderabad: Y S Jaganmohan Reddy - the only son of late chief minister Dr YSR Reddy - wants to make his father an immortal figure by building the largest memorial of its kind in the country at the site where the chopper carrying his father died.

Jagan's visit to the crash site at the Nallamalla forest in Kurnool district with lakhs of followers was aimed at sending out a clear message: he alone is the true inheritor of the YSR legacy at a time when there is still a campaign on to make him Andhra chief minister.

The proposed memorial will be built on 1,412 hectares of forest land.

The AP government says it wants to develop the memorial - at an antipciated cost of around Rs 315 crore - into an important tourist attraction, to be readied by September next year.

AP Information Minister Geetha Reddy, says, "We should have a very befitting memorial monument for him (YSR) and the department which has come up with the project right now is the forest department."

But, not everybody is convinced of the idea and questions are being raised over possible environmental damage.

However, Jagan's supporters in the Andhra Cabinet - who are still pushing his chief ministerial credentials - maintain that these objections have no substance.

Ever since YSR died almost a month ago, there have been a series of announcements by the government aimed at keeping his image alive in public consciousness. Now, with this proposed memorial, it seems that the Andhra Pradesh government is determined to cash in on the goodwill the former chief minister had, even if it raises questions over government priorities.

For the original article please check the following link:
http://ibnlive.in.com/news/ap-to-bui...102185-37.html

This idea no doubt is stupid, to say the least.

However, if keeping YSR alive in the memory of the people of Andhra is the purpose of this whole thing, then perhaps the most fitting thing that the Andhra Govt. can do would be to upgrade the status of NSTR and propose it as a "YSR Memorial National Park", keeping with the true Congress tradition of naming national assets after their leaders. This would not only keep up YSR alive in the hearts of people, but would also increase the status which the A. P. Govt. holds NSTR with.

Gundala Bramheswaram, which is the area YSR crashed into, is perhaps the best part of NSTR and has always been known for its high carnivore density. If we will lose such a place to such stupid, selfish and autocratic political whims and fancies, then God save the tiger!

Regards,
Aditya