The Department of Culture started a project to fish out parts of the 12 bronze statues vandalised and dumped into the Hussain Sagar at Tank Bund during Million March programme in March 2010 by pro-Telangana activists.
After 28 months of the incident, the government wrote a letter to Indian Navy asking for its assistance in the project.
“We have also got the reply from Navy. They will start the project within 10 days,” said RV Prasad Rao, director of the Department of Culture. We started the project as prices of bronze have gone up in the market, he added.
The department will collect the parts and will submit it before the government. “Later, we may decide on their reuse for making bronze tools for the government,” he said.
However, shreds of the vandalised statues will not be used for reinstallation of the 12 statues at Tank Bund as contracts for the same had already been given to a West Godavari-based sculptor, Aruna Prasad Vudayar, in October 2010.
Aruna got the contract for Rs 47.5 lakh and was given a six-month deadline to finish the work. He has completed 80 percent of the work and will finish the rest in the next two months, said Aruna.
At present, bronze cost around Rs 350 a kg in the market. Each vandalised statues weighed around 600 kg which put the total weight of 12 statues at 7,200 kg having a market value of around Rs 25.7 lakh.
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