DW BUREAU / Shimla

The statue of six times chief minister Virbhadra Singh, who served Himachal Pradesh for nearly 50 years, would be unveiled on his birth anniversary at historic ridge here, his son Vikramaditya Singh said on Saturday.

The statue would be located close to the statue of Dr Y S Parmar, the first chief minister of Himachal Pradesh, he told the media persons here and expressed his gratitude towards Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu for providing space for the statue.

Public Works Minister Vikramaditya Singh is the son of late Virbhadra Singh and state Congress chief Pratibha Singh. He announced that his father's statue will be unveiled on June 23 on his birth anniversary.

Announcing the formation of the Raja Virbhadra Singh Foundation, the PWD minister said that as the people of the state wished to contribute towards the statue, the foundation has decided that it would not take any financial help from the government.

The vision of the late chief minister Virbhadra Singh towards the welfare of rural people and tribal areas besides the upliftment of the poor would continue to enlighten the path of welfare, he said.

The foundation would work for development in the education and health sector and help the needy. "I would like it to be a non-political foundation in which eminent people contribute their services, " he added.

Singh had been raising the issue of the installation of his father's statue for a long time. While resigning from the cabinet a day after the Rajya Sabha elections in February last year, he told the media that when the matter of installing his father's statue arose, the government failed to decide the location.

Singh had later withdrawn his resignation after deliberations with the central observers.

(editor@dailyworld.in)