Work on Ambedkar memorial to start from November

The work on the proposed grand memorial of Babasaheb Ambedkar, whose groundbreaking ceremony at Indu Mill compound on October 11 will be attended by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, is likely to start from next month and will be completed on time, state government said today.
Maharashtra Social Justice Minister Rajkumar Badole today said the government has cleared all legal hurdles related to the transfer of National Textile Corporation (NTC)-owned land (at Indu Mill) to the state.
"The funds for the project have been approved and work on it is expected to start in November," he told reporters.
Minister of State for Social Justice Dilip Kamble said the project will be completed on time and inaugurated with in the term of the BJP-led Government (2014-19).

Kamble said the government has extended its invitation to VVIPs and dignitaries for the Sunday event. The kith and kin of the Dalit icon, too, will be invited.
"This is a historic event. Thus, invitation will be extended to one and all. The previous Congress-NCP government dilly-dallied on clearing the project. However, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis cleared the project soon after taking charge," Kamble said.

Giving details of the memorial whose design has been made by renowned architect Sashi Prabhu, Badole said the height of the statue of Ambedkar will be 150 feet.
"The memorial will comprise a stupa which will be 140 feet in height and 110 meters in circumference. There will be a Ashoka Chakra covering the memorial structure. Besides, there will be a Vipassana (meditation) hall with a seating capacity of 13,000 people."

"A gallery, aptly named Gallery of Struggle and depicting various events and struggles in the life of Ambedkar, will be part of the project. The memorial, which will be of international standards, will cover about 7.4 hectares of the Indu Mill land," Badole added.
Another gallery depicting the vision of the architect of Constitution on India of the future will be built. There will be a library spread over 50,000 sq ft and having best of the books in the world, he said.
The memorial will also have an auditorium and a public plaza complete with various amenities, Badole added.