Govt still unclear about funding of Rs425-crore project; PM to hold a public rally at BKC on October 11
The groundbreaking ceremony for Dr Bhimrao Ramji Ambedkar memorial at the Indu Mill on October 11 is expected to be a closed affair with only a handful of ministers, babus and mediapersons to accompany Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the venue.
Prior to performing the foundation stone laying puja at the Dadar-based mill, Modi would visit Chaitya Bhumi to pay homage to Ambedkar. The prime minister is also likely to lay the foundation stone for the two proposed Metro lines — one from Andheri East to Dahisar East, and another from Dahisar to DN Nagar in Andheri West.
Chief minister Devendra Fadnavis held a meeting with his cabinet colleagues and few babus at the Mantralay on Tuesday to finalise the day's plan which has not been made public.
With both the events being a closed affair, a separate public meeting is planned at the Bandra Kurla Complex ground around 5pm. "The PM will also inaugurate two metro lines and would visit JNPT before going for the public rally," a cabinet minister told dna.
The construction of Ambedkar memorial at the 12-acre Indu Mill land is expected to cost the Maharashtra exchequer a total of Rs425 crore. Architectural firm Shashi Prabhu & Associates has been hired for the construction which will take three years. However, it is unclear who will foot the bill for the project.
Earlier, for buying the Ambedkar's London house, the government withdrew funds of Mahatma Phule Magasvargiya Corporation which is meant for Dalit welfare. Also, the mode of compensation for the 12-acre land to Centre-run National Textiles Corporation (NTC) is still unclear.
The government had offered to compensate the NTC with transferable development rights (TDR) worth Rs 1,300 crore for the unutilised built-up potential of the plot as an option to generate funds. The NTC has pegged the land's worth at Rs 1,800 crore and is still pushing for cash compensation.
"The government is not agreeing on the cash compensation citing mounting debt, and insisting on TDR outside Mumbai. The arrangement is however not acceptable to the NTC," said highly placed sources.
On being asked about the same, Fadnavis said: "We will compensate the NTC with TDR only. The government will bear the cost of the memorial." He, however, refused to respond whether the TDR would be outside Mumbai and from where would the funds be diverted for the project.
The memorial
Architectural firm — Shashi Prabhu & Associates — hired for the project has proposed a 2.50 lakh sq ft construction on the plot. It includes a huge stupa which can accommodate 10,000 people, an interactive touch-pad based museum showcasing Ambedkar's life, struggle, constitution and an underground library with 50,000 books. The stupa around a pond will be the memorial's main attraction. "It will stand in the middle of the plot and have 24 stone ribs. The edifice will be of structural steel and soft stone," Shashi Prabhu told dna.
He has proposed a bronze canopy on the stupa and light at the tip to make it attractive in the night. The memorial will have a facility to park 400 vehicles. The sculptor and size for Ambedkar's statue is yet to be finalised, he added.
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