MP: Ambedkar memorial sparks controversy

As the country remembers Dalit icon Babasaheb Ambedkar on his birth anniversary on Saturday, the decision of the Madhya Pradesh government to change technical specifications for the construction of his memorial in his birthplace in Mhow town, near Indore, has sparked a controversy.

The architect of the memorial, E D Nimgade in a letter to Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan on February 8 protested the "unilateral decision" of Babasaheb Ambedkar Smarak Nirman Samiti chaired by state Forest and Transport Minister Himmat Kothari to alter the technical specifications of the project on the plea of bringing down the project's cost.

In the letter, a copy of which is available with the PTI, Nimgade said, "Due to this unilateral, arbitrary and illegal decision of the Samiti, the original quality, aesthetics and unique features of this project are completely lost and this may give rise to a public outcry."

"The decision was taken by the Samiti in my absence and also that of the custodian of the memorial, Babasaheb Ambedkar Memorial Society," Nimgade said.

However, PWD executive engineer K C Jain, incharge of the project, denied that Nimgade's approval was not taken before changing the technical specifications. His consent is there on paper, he contended.

But Nagpur-based Nimgade said that he was informed about the meeting on the same day and therefore, it was not possible for him to attend the meeting on such a short notice.