Mumbai: BMC to hand over Mayor's bungalow documents to Bal Thackeray Public Memorial Trust

Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and Shiv Sena chief Udhav Thackeray on Wednesday arrived at Mayor's Bungalow where the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) will hand over the bungalow's documents to Bal Thackeray Public Memorial Trust to construct his memorial.

The Bal Thackeray Public Memorial Trust is headed by Udhav Thackeray.

The construction of the memorial will cost Rs 100 crore at Dadar in Mumbai where the last rites of the iconic Shiv Sena leader were performed. The exact site is in Shivaji Park area where Mumbai Mayor's bungalow was located earlier. The funds for the memorial will be provided by the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA).

A Ganesh Pooja will also be performed after the documents will be handed over to the Trust.

The Maharashtra government on Tuesday decided to construct the memorial for the Shiv Sena founder, a move that comes amidst growing bitterness between the ruling NDA constituents, BJP and Shiv Sena. The decision was taken at a meeting of the cabinet chaired by Fadnavis.

Cabinet minister Sudhir Mungantiwar said, "Relations between BJP and Shiv Sena were always good and will remain so. There is a strong probability of forging an alliance as well".

"Balasaheb Thackeray has always been a respectable and great leader. Hence, the cabinet has decided to construct a grand memorial in his memory, which will inspire the youths," added Mungantiwar.

Shiv Sena, which is a part of the BJP-led governments at the Centre as well as the state, has been bitter with the party and has declared that it will contest the upcoming Lok Sabha polls separately.

The cabinet decision to fund the memorial comes days after a petition was filed in the Bombay High Court against the proposal for constructing the memorial at the Mayor's bungalow which is said to be a green zone.

The petition, filed by social worker Santosh Daundkar, seeks cancellation of orders for the change of land use (CLU) of the said property. The proposed memorial is also said to be in the violation of coastal regulatory rules.

The petition "impugns the decision of the Maharashtra Coastal Zone Management Authority (MCZMA) to refuse to take cognizance of conspicuous violations of law particularly that of Environment Protection Act, 1986 and the Coastal Regulation Zone Notification, 2011, in the matter of change of use of the land earmarked for Mayor's Bungalow and Recreation ground.

-ANI