Union Government of India cleared Decks for Ambedkar Memorial

Union Government of India on 5 December 2012 cleared the decks for transferring the prime India 12.5 acre United Mill land in Mumbai to the Maharashtra government for building a state-of-the-art memorial to B.R. Ambedkar.

The Maharashtra State government is going to bear the entire cost of the memorial project and will henceforth take care of the land. The Union Cabinet will take further decisions on the process. A Bill will have to be passed in Parliament for transfer of the land for the memorial project.

Also, a separate authority is going to be set up for the purpose and an architect will be appointed as a consultant to prepare the blueprint for the memorial. The authority is said to comprise seven members, including three from the State government, while the rest will be from the Centre.

The memorial is to be modeled on the basis of Mahatma Gandhi’s Samadhi at Rajghat.

The Urban Development department of Maharashtra had earlier on 1 December 2012 amended reservation of the mill land from a special industrial zone to Grand Memorial of Bharat Ratna Babasaheb Ambedkar by issuing a notification inviting suggestions and objections.