Ambedkar memorial to come up in three years: Devendra Fadnavis

The memorial to Babasaheb Ambedkar, to be built on the Indu Mill site near Chaityabhoomi in Mumbai, would be completed in three years time, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis told the Legislative Council.

He was replying to supplementary queries raised on a calling attention motion moved by Sharad Ranpise of the Congress.

"Major works will be carried out in the first two years, ancillary works would be done in one year after that," Fadnavis told the House.

He informed the House that a special kind of steel, recommended by the Centre, would be used for its construction as well as the memorial of Chhatrapati Shivaji off the coast of Mumbai. This steel could last for about 300 years, Fadnavis said.

Replying to further queries, Fadnavis informed the House that a three member committee, comprising former Shiv Sena corporator Surendra Bagalkar, the Dean of J J School of Arts and the Head of Department of History of Mumbai University would take suggestions from legislators, leaders and the public.

"The committee shall accept suggestions if they improve the overall aesthetic value of the memorial," he said.

Fadnavis urged members not to compare the project cost of the Ambedkar Memorial with that of Chhatrapati Shivaji in the Arabian sea or with the Sardar Patel Statue of Unity coming up in Gujarat.

He said these projects could not be compared because all the three personalities had contributed immensely in their own way for the welfare of the nation.

Responding to a supplementary query over the Coastal Zone Management Plan (CZMP) pending since 2011 which had led to the Centre withholding environment clearances for several city projects, the CM said that the government had received a draft report from two institutions which would be sent to the Centre after approval from the state Cabinet.

Referring to the omission of some prominent personalities during the 'bhoomipujan' ceremony of the Ambedkar memorial in October 2015, he said that all those who had been left out would be invited for its inauguration.