Maharashtra yet to close Ambedkar house deal, owner may withdraw

The owner of the London house where Dr BR Ambedkar lived has given the Maharashtra government an ultimatum as it has failed to finish the deal on time. The owner has warned to withdraw his offer if the state does not close the deal by Monday.

The owner of the London house where Dr BR Ambedkar lived has given the Maharashtra government an ultimatum as it has failed to finish the deal on time. The owner has warned to withdraw his offer if the state does not close the deal by Monday.

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In a letter sent to MN Singh, the high commissioner of India in London, Adam French, an officer from the broker agency said, “We are extremely disappointed that this transaction has taken more than eight months to proceed to this position. The owner of this house, who also owns the majority of 10 King Henrys Road, has told me unless you proceed with transaction by Monday, he will withdraw and start the process of renovating the property, which will then be kept within the family trust for the years to come.”

The state had announced to buy the property at Rs31 crore, and made a budegetory allocation of Rs40 crore. However, red-tape within the departments has resulted in the transaction taking too long. Dilip Kamble, the minister of state for social justice, said the transaction will be completed in four days.