The state has decided to seek prior approval from the Supreme Court for the proposed memorial to the late YSR near Prasad’s Imax theatre complex in Hyderabad.

There will be no concrete structure, as that has already been prohibited by the SC, but the government does not want to risk opposition from environmental groups either and wants to explain the eco-friendly features of the memorial to the court.

“There will be a statue of Dr Y.S. Rajasekhar Reddy and a lot of landscaping of the eight acres opposite Imax and three acres adjacent to it,” the municipal administration minister, Mr A. Ramanarayana Reddy, said on Thursday. He said the state would file a special leave petition in the apex court and seek prior permission.

The minister said the Chief Minister, Mr K. Rosaiah, has approved the memorial and detailed designs have been submitted by the Hyderabad Metropolitan Development Authority (HMDA). The memorial project has been entrusted to Mr Kishore D. Pradhan, an architect and landscaping specialist, and will cost Rs 15 crore.