Bal Thackeray memorial continues to face hurdles

Mumbai: With Shiv Sena founder Bal Thackeray’s fifth death anniversary just round the corner, hurdles in the way of his memorial are far from over. The land surrounding the mayor's bungalow at Shivaji Park, Dadar, where the memorial is to come up, is still not in possession of the Thackeray Memorial Trust.

Ahead of Thackeray's fifth death anniversary on Friday, Shiv Sena leader and industries minister Subhash Desai simply said, "We are working on the project."

The memorial was announced on November 17, 2015. The committee under chairmanship of the then-chief secretary suggested a few sites but Shiv Sena chief approved the site where the mayor's bungalow stands.

The BMC is supposed to handover the mayor's bungalow to the Thackeray Memorial Trust after the state government's approval. However, no alternative arrangement has yet been finalised for the mayor. The BMC administration suggested a place in Jijamata garden at Byculla however the same has not been finalised yet. The trust needs land adjacent to the mayor's bungalow including one very old nursery school which belongs to the Keralian Mahila Samaj and some land of Dadar gymkhana. The lease of the over 100 years' old nursery school is over and BMC is not ready to renew the same because the land is required for the Thackeray memorial. While the civic body suggested two alternative places near Dadar railway station, the trustees did not find those sites suitable and refused to shift the school there. Desai had a meeting with them but the issue hasn't been resolved yet. Meanwhile, petitions challenging the memorial are pending with the high court.

Senior architect Shashi Prabhu has prepared a draft plan for the memorial but nothing can be done till land is handed over to the trust. From the looks of it, it may take a long time to clear all obstacles, said a Sena leader.