Government to rebuild Ambedkar memorial, renovate another

Amid the furore over demolition of Ambedkar Bhavan, the Devendra Fadnavis government on Wednesday announced the renovation of deserted memorial of Dr Ambedkar at Mahad.

Mahad (Raigad) has a national memorial of Ambedkar built 18-19 years ago. Even as it houses library to auditorium, study centre and swimming pool, most facilities are either shut down or bore deserted look. The memorial is looked after by the Babasaheb Ambedkar Research and Training Institute, Pune.

"The state government will take a stock of all the structures in the Mahad memorial following which renovation would take place," Rajkumar Badole, social justice minister, said in the legislative Council.

The government has also decided to rebuild the Sidharth Vidhar hostel in Wadala which was demolished last year after being declared dilapidated in 2011. The ground-plus-three-storey structure which had 145 rooms was constructed in 1964 on the land granted by the state.

The hostel was owned by People's Education Trust formed by Ambedkar to establish colleges for Dalits in Maharashtra. The plan of the structure was prepared and signed by Ambedkar himself.

"The hostel was the epicentre of the Dalit movement in the state. We would rebuild this historical building," Badole had said on Tuesday.