C.K. Nayudu's statue shifted to a safe place

Willing to install it in any park, says civic chief

The Revenue Department has come forward to conserve the statue of Colonel C.K. Nayudu, which has been languishing in a pathetic state in the Collectorate premises for one year. Responding to an article ‘Row over C.K. Nayudu’s statue’ carried in The Hindu on June 29, the revenue authorities have shifted it to the office of the Bandar Revenue Division in the Collectorate premises.

The statue was kept outside the district record room where solid waste collection vehicles were parked.

The white-cemented statue has finally found a safe place until a suitable place is selected for installation.

Polythene covers

“We have covered the statue with polythene covers and is now in our hands for conservation,” Bandar RDO P. Udaya Bhaskar said.

Municipal Chairman M. Baba Prasad said the civic body was willing to install the statue in any of the parks.

The Bandar Bandhuvulu (BB), a social networking group working on development and social issues, has requested the civic body to install the statue at a suitable location. It has posted two photographs of the statue, displaying the conservation status before and after The Hindu carried the article. “Thanks. Our C.K. Nayudu statue got a safe place,” the BB posted on its official page. Machilipatnam-based senior lawyer Lankisetti Balaji said the delay in installing the statue showed the attitude of the political parties and the government towards the legendary cricketer. Machilipatnam MLA and Law and Sports Minister Kollu Ravindra had earlier arranged for the installation but the idea had to be withdrawn in the wake of opposition from the Congress party for installation at Parasupeta centre a year ago.

Migrated to Nagpur

Cottari Suryaprakasa Rao of Machilipatnam migrated to Nagpur where Cottari Kanayya Naidu (C.K. Nayudu) was born in 1895. C.K. Nayudu died in 1967 in Nagpur.