Hyderabad, The Telangana Martyrs' Memorial, being built in the memory of those who sacrificed their lives for the separate Telangana state, will be completed in six months, a minister announced on Friday.

Minister for Roads and Buildings V. Prashanth Reddy on Friday inspected the works of the memorial being constructed on the banks of Hussain Sagar lake in the heart of Hyderabad.

He told reporters that Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao wants to make it a tradition for the visiting dignitaries from the Centre, such as the President, Prime Minister, and others to pay their respects to the Telangana martyrs at the memorial.

He said it was due to relentless fight by Chandrasekhar Rao and sacrifices of a number of martyrs that statehood for Telangana became a reality.

Reddy said the massive memorial being built in three lakh square feet will have a museum, a meeting hall, a photo gallery and an art gallery, all depicting the sacrifices of the Telangana martyrs.

The minister said the second floor of the memorial will have a world class convention hall where national and international level meetings may be conducted, while the third floor will accommodate restaurants.

It was in 2016 that the Chief Minister had laid the foundation stone for the memorial to be built on 2.5 acres next to Lumbini Park at a cost of Rs 80 crore. However, it was only in 2018 that the design for the structure was finalised.

It has been designed in the form of a traditional 'Diya' (earthen lamp) in honour of those who sacrificed their lives for the cause of Telangana state.

As per the design, a flame-like structure will be constructed using fibre material, starting from the second floor and rising two floors high into the sky. The structure will glow at night.

Being built by the Tourism Department, the Martyrs Memorial will be an added attraction around the picturesque lake. It has been designed in such that when completed the structure, the Buddha statue in Hussain Sagar and the tricolour in Sanjeevaiah Park on the other will appear in the same line of sight.

A pillar with the statue of 'Telangana Talli' on its pinnacle will be constructed at the entrance of the memorial.