Give green nod for plan to build Thackeray memorial at mayor’s bungalow in Mumbai, Centre told

Maharashtra Coastal Zone Management Authority asks Union environment ministry to give go-ahead; it will take a year to begin work after nod

The proposed memorial for the late Shiv Sena chief Bal Thackeray got a boost on Monday.

The state coastal authority wrote to the Union environment ministry to clear the civic body’s proposal to convert the mayor’s bungalow at Shivaji Park into the memorial. (HT File Photo)

The state coastal authority wrote to the Union environment ministry to clear the civic body’s proposal to convert the mayor’s bungalow at Shivaji Park into the memorial.

While the Maharashtra Coastal Zone Management Authority (MCZMA) had issued a green nod for the project in September on the basis of a proposal submitted by the state urban development department, their recommendation comes after giving a clearance to a separate proposal by the civic body during a meeting last week, said officials.

“After clearing the proposal by Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), all environmental clearances have been granted by the state for this project. We studied the exact details of how the BMC intends to construct the memorial, and submitted all details to the Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change,” said Satish Gavai, chairman, MCZMA and additional chief secretary, state environment department. “We expect that the Centre might clear the proposal over the next three months.”

BMC officials said it will take at least a year to begin construction work. “This latest move has brought the project one-step closer to construction,” said Ramesh Pawar, deputy municipal commissioner, BMC. “Once we get the Centre’s nod, we will draft a plan for the construction. The cost for the entire project will be estimated and the tendering process will begin. By the time construction starts, it will at least take a year.”

On September 7, the state urban development department had issued a notification to change the reservation of the mayor bungalow at Dadar to “Grand memorial of Swargiy Balasaheb Thackeray” in the Development Plan (DP) 1991. The bungalow and the area around it was marked as a green zone in DP 1967, and a green zone with ‘Mayor Bungalow’ in DP 1991. Since a green zone does not permit any construction in the area demarcated under the plan, the department’s notification said the green zone needs to be deleted and included in the residential zone.