Group to march for Ambedkar memorial

Mumbai: A city-based organisation is holding a ‘Reminder March’ on November 28 to push for fast tracking the construction of a proposed memorial for the Dalit icon B.R. Ambedkar in the city.  

The Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) had proposed the project more than a decade ago. However, the authority has not officially appointed a contractor for the same.

According to Samajik Samata Manch, the group behind the march, the agitation will be organised to highlight the ‘inordinate delay’ on the part of the central and state governments in the construction of the memorial at the now defunct Indu Mill premises in Dadar.

“We have decided to hold a Reminder March on November 28 at Chaityabhoomi in Dadar, which will be attended by a large number of Ambedkar followers,” said manch president Vijay Kamble.

 However, in this week itself, the MMRDA had opened the technical bids for the memorial wherein only one bidder had come forward for the project. This was the second bidding call; during the first call too, the authority had received the same bidder. The sole contractor who has participated in the bidding process is Shapoorji Pallonji. According to a senior MMRDA official, the contract may be awarded to the sole contractor. The financial bids will be opened in December.  

Mr Kamble said that they were “fed up” with the “empty assurances” of the governments. “Will this monument be ever constructed? Why hasn’t the work started? The state government has already got the possession of the Indu Mill property, why are the things still not moving,” he asked.