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Delay haunts museum reopening

Inauguration of the Bhau Daji Lad Museum has been postponed again because of ‘unforeseen circumstances’ and the PM's crammed engagements diary.

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The inauguration of the Bhau Daji Lad Museum seems to be jinxed. But the launch, scheduled for tomorrow, has been postponed again because of ‘unforeseen circumstances’ and the Prime Minister's crammed engagements diary. Now, questions are being asked in some quarters not only about the current postponement, but also about the inordinate delay in the full restoration of the museum.

The museum received the UNESCO Award for Excellence in Restoration over a year ago, and the conservation architect associated with the project certified the work complete six months ago.

Everyone connected with the project was caught unawares by the postponement advice from the PM's office, especially because of the time it had taken to confirm his presence. The project is a collaboration involving the BMC, the Indian National Trust for Arts and Cultural Heritage (INTACH), and the Jamnalal Bajaj Foundation (JBF).

Opinion is divided within the BMC over the reopening of the museum, which has been closed since 2003. Some senior officials feel that there should be no further delay and Governor SM Krishna should be called for the launch. But others want to wait till the PM grants another date, perhaps after the Union budget.

So far, the BMC has given Rs2.5 crore for restoration, while the JBF has donated Rs2 crore. The three parties have formed a trust, with the BMC disbursing Rs10 crore as corpus for the project. Once redeveloped, the museum will have a café, children's interactive centre, and an international exhibition gallery named after Kamalnayan Bajaj.

Municipal Commissioner Johny Joseph said, "Restoration activities in a museum are an ongoing process. As of now, Phase I is over and ready for launch."

Tasneem Mehta, convenor, Mumbai chapter of INTACH, was unavailable for comment. The city’s heritage-conservation community has chosen to remain noncommittal on the issue.

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