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₹100 crore for expansion of Savitribai Phule Memorial: Ajit Pawar
During a meeting held at the Circuit House on Saturday, Pawar said plans are in the pipeline to further expand the existing Savitribai Phule Smarak and the Mahatma Phule Wada with the acquisition of adjacent land
Pune District Guardian Minister Ajit Pawar announced ₹100 crore fund allocation for the extension of the existing Savitribai Phule Memorial at Ganj Peth in the city.
During a meeting held at the Circuit House on Saturday, Pawar said plans are in the pipeline to further expand the existing Savitribai Phule Smarak and the Mahatma Phule Wada with the acquisition of adjacent land. Apart from that, a primary development plan for the recently demolished Bhide Wada was also discussed during the meeting, which was attended by Food and Civil Minister Chaggan Bhujbal, PMC commissioner Vikram Kumar, district collector Rajesh Deshmukh and Pune Zilla Parishad chief executive officer (CEO) Ramesh Chavan.
As per the proposal tabled during the meeting, the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) intends to buy land near Savitribai Phule Smarak in Ganj Peth and connect it to the Mahatma Phule Wada, covering around 4.5 acres. According to the plan, the memorial will be revamped with internal roads connecting the two monuments.
The district collector’s office has already acquired the Bhide Wada, where Savitribai Phule started the first girl’s school. The land is already handed over to the PMC, and the authorities have erected a compound around the vacant plot.
Commenting on the development, Pawar said. “During the meeting, we reviewed the development at all three monuments. The State government is planning to expand the Savitribai Phule Memorial and connect it internally to the Mahatma Phule Wada. The civic body will acquire land required to carry out the project.”
As far as the Bhide Wada development is concerned, the PMC intends to buy an adjacent plot for additional parking space.
“The Bhide Wada plot is quite compact, and If the PMC wants to rebuild it, it must leave enough room on all four sides. The PMC intends to build a fourteen-story monument, whereas I proposed constructing a six- to seven-story structure. Because the structure is on a busy road, visitors might face traffic issues in the future. Considering that, the PMC has identified land behind the existing Wada that might be acquired for parking purposes,” Pawar added.
The Guardian Minister further added that the PMC had invited proposals to make a state-of-the-art memorial at Bhide Wada.
Reacting to the development, Bhujbal said, “PMC should start a modern school for girls at Bhide Wada, which holds huge significance. I have suggested that the structure should have a heritage Wada appearance, and the school should be named ‘Savitribai Phule First Girl’s School’.
Before chairing the review meeting, Pawar visited all three sites on Saturday morning.
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