RPI wants changes in memorial plan

A few prominent RPI faction leaders have demanded changes to the current design of the proposed memorial of Babasaheb Ambedkar at Indu Mill. They met social justice minister Rajkumar Badole who has agreed that some changes will have to be made to current design. The RPI leaders felt that the greenery around the memorial gave it an appearance of a park and wanted a pond in the vicinity to be designed like the ‘Chaudar Lake’ in Mahad where Ambedkar had launched the agitation for allowing Dalits to have access to water bodies.

Mr Badole held a meeting with Republican Party faction leaders like Peoples Republican Party leader and MLC Jogendra Kawade, RPI-A leader Avinash Mahatekar and others. “Some prominent RPI faction leaders argued that the main stupa-like structure having 24 stone ribs does not look like a stupa. Also, some felt the greenery around it (the memorial) gave it an appearance of a park,” Mr Badole said.

The minister said among other suggestions were display of the various agitations that Ambedkar conducted for emancipation of downtrodden and the memorial should serve as an international level centre for studies of humanities. “It should have a large library and a research centre for Buddhist studies,” he added.

According to Mr Badole, there were other suggestions like the memorial should have a ‘Statue of Equality’ on the lines of ‘Statue of Liberty’ in US. “Most of the leaders have suggested that commercial exploitation of the memorial should not be allowed under any circumstances,” he said.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi had performed ‘bhoomipujan’ of the proposed memorial on October 11 last year.

The design of the memorial has been prepared by architect Sashi Prabhu. The cost of the project has been pegged at Rs 425 crore, of which the state government had budgeted around Rs 90 crore for the preparation of the plan and other formalities.

As per the present design plan, it is to have a 25,000 sqft stupa around a pond, a bronze canopy atop the stupa, a museum measuring 39,622 sqft area and an underground library and auditorium.