Ambedkar statue to stay put for now

The BMRCL has decided to go ahead with the work on underground Metro station in front of Vidhana Soudha even as the statue of Dr BR Ambedkar has not been shifted from there.

The BMRCL took the decision as it did not want to wait any further for the government’s permission to shift the statue. It will be covered with four-inch-thick metal slabs to ensure that it remains safe during the work, which involves blasting.

Informing this, officials involved in the construction work said the government has not given them the permission to shift the statue and it is important that the work be taken up, as it has already been delayed much. The officials said they hope that with the four-inch-thick metal enclosure around the statue, it will be completely safe.

N Sivasailam, managing director of the BMRCL, said that not only was the work delayed because of resistance in shifting the statue, but also resulted in cost overrun. “Blasting the rocks could have caused damage to the statue. We had to slice the rocks and additional machinery was needed for this,” he said, citing a case in point.

He added that with the statue on the premises, work would take an extra four months to be completed. “If the statue had been shifted temporarily, we could have gained those four months,” he said. He added that undue delays were being prevented by starting the work quickly.The BMRCL has been waiting for months for the government to give permission to shift the statue to facilitate the work. However, after months of delays and no decision, the BMRCL decided to go ahead with the work.While the BMRCL would have preferred to have the statue shifted for its safety, the opposition from Dalit organisations and protests stopped the state government in its tracks. Although the government had earlier given the permission to shift the statue, no steps were taken to shift it. Regular protests from Dalit outfits, who feared that the statue would be harmed or that it would not return to its original position after the Metro work, resulted in the state government forming a committee with the social welfare department to take a second look into the matter.

In its newsletter published in April 2012, the BMRCL had stated that with no decision on shifting Ambedkar statue, work on the stretch was becoming critical and was about six months behind schedule. While the BMRCL is resuming the work in front of Vidhana Soudha, it is still waiting for the government’s nod to shift the statue, something that will make the work easier and faster.