Maharashtra to register trust for Bal Thackeray memorial

Intending to start work on a memorial for the late Shiv Sena supremo Bal Thackeray, the state government will register a public trust, which will enable it to get possession of land for the structure. The state had announced last year that the memorial would be built at the mayor’s bungalow at Shivaji Park, Dadar.

“We are going to register a public trust to build the memorial. I had submitted the report about the availability of land for the memorial last year based on which the government announced the place. Work will start soon,” chief secretary Swadhin Kshatriya said.

The official was heading the committee to finalise the location for building the memorial.

The BMC had also written to the state government a few months ago, requesting it to set up the trust so that land could be handed over to the trust. The move was taken ahead of the BMC polls, which will be held next year.

Chief minister Devendra Fadnavis and Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray had made the announcement about the memorial last November on the occasion of the third death anniversary of the Sena supremo. The CM had said that the memorial would be constructed under the guidance of the trust.

However, the mayor’s bungalow is a heritage structure and the land falls under the Coastal Regulatory Zone (CRZ) as it is a few metres away from Dadar beach. It is still unclear how the government is going to build the memorial in spite of strict environment and heritage norms.

Meanwhile, a Shiv Sena leader said the party wants the work for the memorial to start before the BMC polls.

“Party workers have been demanding from the beginning that the memorial be built in Dadar, especially at Shivaji Park where Balasaheb used to address us,” the leader said.