Ambedkar memorial project:Statue height to be raised by 100 ft

The Maharashtra Cabinet on Wednesday approved a proposal to raise the height of the proposed statue of Dalit icon B R Ambedkar at the Indu Mills compound in Mumbai by 100 feet.

Addressing a press conference, Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar said the height of the proposed statue will be raised to 350 feet, taking the collective height of the Ambedkar memorial, including the pedestal, to 450 feet.

"The Cabinet has approved the proposal to increase the height of the bronze statue and pedestal from 350 feet to 450 feet," he said.

Pawar, who holds the Finance portfolio, said the project will be completed in the next two years and there will be no dearth of funds.

"The proposed structure includes an auditorium, a library and a research centre," he said, adding that the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) will be the nodal agency for the project.

It can be recalled that Prime Minister Narendra Modi had laid the foundation stone of the memorial in October 2015.

Pawar also said the Cabinet discussed the "Mumbai Eye" project on the lines of the London Eye, near the Bandra-Worli sea link if there are no CRZ issues.

Mumbaikars could get a vantage view of the city from high in the sky through the Mumbai Eye.