The state to form panel for the handover.
The Centre has agreed to hand over the entire 12.5 acres of India United (Indu) Mills land to the state for the construction of a memorial to Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar, the father of the Indian Constitution.
The assurance was given by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to an all-party delegation comprised of 30 members, and led by chief minister Prithviraj Chavan.
The delegation included deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar, Union power minister Sushilkumar Shinde, ministers from the state, and leaders from different political parties, including the different factions of the Republican Party of India, which was started by Dr Ambedkar. Along with the PM was Union textile minister Anand Sharma.
After the meeting, Chavan, Pawar and Union social welfare minister Mukul Wasnik told the gathered press corps in New Delhi that they were thankful to the prime minister.
“A committee of secretaries comprising officers from the Centre and the state will be formed to work out the formalities of the handover,” Chavan said.
Indu Mills is a now-defunct textile mill that was run by the National Textile Corporation, which comes under the Central government.
During the recent winter session of the assembly and council in Nagpur, both houses had unanimously adopted a resolution asking the Centre to return the Indu Mills land, which belongs to the state and was leased to NTC to run Indu Mills.
The resolution was made after news reports came out that the Centre was willing to hand over 4 acres for the construction of a memorial.
Indu Mills is located on the Dadar seafront and next to Chaityabhoomi, where Ambedkar was cremated in December 1956. Over the years, this spot has turned into a pilgrimage centre for lakhs of supporters who visit it to pay homage to the foremost leaders of the Dalits.
On Friday evening, a delegation met Sharma and apprised him of the state legislature’s resolution. Later, a Congress party delegation comprising Chavan, Maharashtra Congress chief Manikrao Thakre, and others met Congress president Sonia Gandhi to press for the same demand.
The state has plans to build a memorial and a library showcasing Ambedkar, besides providing amenities to the visitors to Chaityabhoomi.
“We will now build a grand monument to Dr Ambedkar in Mumbai,” said Naseem Khan, state textile minister.
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