Mumbai: The Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) will send a proposal to the state government to change the height of the statue of Dr Bhimrao Amb0edkar at Indu Mill, Dadar.
Though the proposed change in height by more than 100 ft was made by former Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, a detailed plan with suggested changes will be sent to the government now for the cabinet's go-ahead, said an MMRDA official.
According to the earlier plan, the statue's height was of 250 ft and 100 ft basement height. Now, as per the revised proposed plan, the statue’s height will be 350 ft and the basement will remain 100 ft that means, the total height will be 450 ft.
New Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar gave such directions to the MMRDA for further procedure, the official added. On Thursday, the Deputy CM, along with cabinet minister Nawab Malik, visited the Indu Mill to review the ongoing project.
Interestingly, the new change in the statue's height and other measures will eventually delay the project, as again new permissions and clearances will have to be obtained by the authority, asserted the official. The previous set deadline for the project was December 6, 2020.
Meanwhile, the MMRDA commissioner, RA Rajeev, in a statement said: "We will submit a detailed report taking into account directions given by the Deputy CM. The MMRDA will proceed further in accordance with the directions of the Government of Maharashtra.”
During his visit, the Deputy CM advised MMRDA proper care should be taken of the existing water body seashore and more trees should be planted at the site and the trees on the seafront should be landscaped in a way that they withstand the marine climate. The auditorium entry side pathways should also be made to enable planting more trees.
The minister also suggested the auditorium stage rooftop must have a lawn instead of the regular surface. The rainwater harvesting capacity be risen to fulfil water requirements in dry season.
Besides, the minister also recommended that the width allotted for outer and inner Circumambulation (parikrama) to be increased to 30 feet from the proposed 20 feet.
Furthermore, trees should be planted on 'parikrama' as a median to segregate the inward and outward visitor movement. It will also provide shade to the visitors.
Additionally, the viewing gallery width will have a dedicated upward and downward movement by providing railing in between. Also, customised LED lights should be installed.
To provide a grand look at the entrance of the memorial, the entrance plaza building height is suggested to be increased in proportion to the pedestal building. Even the door height should be increased further to add to the grandeur, it was proposed in a meeting on Thursday.
MMRDA, the nodal agency undertaking the Rs700 crore memorial's project, has already started the construction. Currently, excavation and piling work are over and auditorium basement comprising two-floors below its framework is complete.
