Union Cabinet nod to hand over part of Mumbai land for Dr B R Ambedkar memorial

The way has been cleared for a magnificent memorial to Dr B R Ambedkar with government on Monday clearing a proposal to hand over a part of now-defunct Indu Mills land in Mumbai to Maharashtra government for the purpose.

The Union Cabinet okayed a bill for the purpose on Monday, nearly a year after the government had announced its move to give a portion of the land to the state government to set up the memorial, sources said.

"The Government of India has taken a view to make available this land for use by the Government of Maharashtra for the construction of a befitting memorial," the then Textiles Minister Anand Sharma had told both Houses of Parliament in December last year.

An earlier move to hand over the land through an executive order was learnt to have been shelved and now The Acquisition of Certain Area in Mumbai for Dr Bhimrao Ambedkar Memorial Bill, 2013 is likely to be introduced in Parliament in the winter session beginning on December 5.

The legislation is aimed at empowering the central government to acquire a portion of the land belonging to the National Textile Corporation Limited (NTCL) for facilitation of the construction of a memorial for Ambedkar.

Over 48,000 square metres of land will be acquired for the purpose.

According to the cabinet note, NTCL will be paid Rs 45.77 crore for the land.