MUMBAI: The Maharashtra cabinet on Wednesday approved a proposal to raise the height of Dr B R Ambedkar statue at Indu Mills in Mumbai by 100 feet.
Ajit Pawar, deputy chief minister said that the height of the main statue of Dr BR Ambedkar has been increased from 250 ft to 350 while the foundation of the memorial will be kept at 100 feet only.
“The government earmarked Rs 1100 crore against the earlier approval of Rs 750 crore for this memorial project,” said Pawar who is also the state finance minister.
The MMRDA will be the nodal agency for this project and the cabinet also constituted the sub-committee under the leadership of social justice minister Dhananjay Munde for monitoring the development work of memorial. Renowned architect Shashi Prabhu has been appointed as the architect for this mega international project, which will be completed over the next two years.
“Earlier BJP government delayed this project. Without approvals, the Bhoomipoojan of this memorial was done in 2015. Since then no development took place at the site. We have decided to put the project on the fast track,” the finance minister said.
He said this project will be developed by following the green building norms. “There will be all state of the art facilities like 100 sitting auditorium, research centre and library. The pending approvals should be given within eight days by the respective department secretaries,” Pawar informed.
In the cabinet, the Maharashtra government scrapped the earlier government’s decision of “panel system” and the ward system will be implemented in the local body elections. In one ward, there will be maximum three and a minimum of two corporators will be elected.
The decision of scrapping the multi-member panel system will help the Maharashtra Vikas Aghadi to wrestle the municipal corporation from the BJP.