Late Andhra Pradesh chief minister Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy's first death anniversary will be observed across Andhra Pradesh on Thursday with the state government organising a series of functions in memory of the Congress leader.
State chief minister K. Rosaiah would unveil a 20-ft-long statue at the “YSR Smriti Vanam” (memorial garden) near the crash site at Pavuralagutta in Kurnool district which was being built in an area of 3,500 acres.
The garden would have a bio-diversity park, a butterfly park and deer park. The state government would also organise a major function at Ravindra Bharati auditorium close to the state assembly and also the Secretariat.
The ruling Congress would be organising ceremonies in all cities, towns and villages across the state even as Reddy's son Jagan Mohan Reddy is now undertaking a “odarpu yatra” to console the families of those who died of shock after Reddy's death, defying the directives of the high command.
It was on September 2, 2009, that YSR's chopper went missing soon after he left from Hyderabad in the morning for Chittoor district to launch “Rachabanda”, a government programme aimed at interacting with people on the implementation of welfare and development schemes.
He was accompanied in the twin-engine Bell 430 helicopter by his principal secretary S. Subrahmanyam, chief security officer ASC Wesley, pilot Group Captain S.K. Bhatia and co-pilot M.S. Reddy.
As Congressmen and people at large were in state of shock and disbelief, the Army, Indian Air Force, Central Reserve Police Force personnel, Andhra Pradesh police and elite anti-Naxal police force “Greyhounds” undertook the possibly biggest-ever search operation in the country to trace the missing chopper.
It was found that the chopper had crashed due to incessant rains in the dense jungles of Nallamala forest in Kurnool district, killing all the five people on board.
Reddy was buried at his family estate Idupulapaya in his native Kadapa district.