Hyderabad, Nov 26 (IANS): Telangana Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy on Tuesday urged the Centre to transfer 222.27 acres of defence land to the state for the development of the Gandhi Sarovar project at Bapu Ghat in Hyderabad.

The Chief Minister made the request during the meeting with Defence Minister Rajnath Singh in Delhi.

The state government proposes to develop Bapu Ghat at the confluence of the Esa and Musi rivers where the Father of the Nation, Mahatma Gandhi’s ashes were immersed.

According to the Chief Minister’s Office (CMO) here, Revanth Reddy requested the Defence Minister to transfer the defence land to facilitate the development of a centre to propagate Gandhi’s philosophy at the global level as he elaborated on the various components of the Gandhi Sarovar project.

The state government proposes to develop a knowledge hub to propagate Gandhi’s ideology, a meditation village, a handloom promotion centre, public entertainment spaces, a landscape, a statue of peace, and a museum.

The Chief Minister announced early this month that the world’s tallest statue of Mahatma Gandhi will be installed at Bapu Ghat. Currently, Patna has the tallest Gandhi statue (72 feet), which was unveiled in 2013.

The Telangana government is studying the tallest Gandhi statues across the world to finalise the statue’s height and other details. The development of Bapu Ghat is proposed as part of the Musi riverfront development project, a brainchild of the Chief Minister.

Revanth Reddy announced on November 1 that the government would go ahead with the Musi rejuvenation project, which he believes will transform the face of Hyderabad and foster development. He also announced that the 20-km stretch between Himayat Sagar and Osman Sagar will feature a London Eye-like cantilevered observation wheel on the banks of the Musi, a nature cure health facility, a world-famous university off-campus and a bridge-cum-barrage around the Bapu Ghat.