Shivaji memorial ready in Delhi: Vilasrao Deshmukh

Nagpur, Dec 12: A memorial to Maratha warrior Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj was ready in Delhi and awaiting its inauguration, Maharashtra Chief Minister Vilasrao Deshmukh told the state Legislative Assembly today.

Replying to supplementaries on a question by Mr Prakash Solanke (BJP) and two others, Mr Deshmukh said a statue of the great Maratha King had also been installed in the premises. The memorial had been erected by the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj National Memorial Committee, a private trust headed by former Union Minister Vasant Sathe.

The Delhi Development Authority (DDA) had issued a notice and imposed a fine of Rs 10 lakh on the committee for violation of conditions in the lease agreement. The DDA had allowed 25 per cent of the space to be sub-let, but the committee had actually sub-let 80 per cent of the space.

The committee had replied to the notice and paid the fine, but approached the Delhi High Court in this regard. The matter has been posted for hearing on December 26 next, he said.

The case before the court pertained to the violation of the condition on sub-letting, and not to the memorial per se, the Chief Minister clarified.

The matter was not directly related to the state government, but it had obtained the information and placed it before the House as the entire Maharashtra had respect for Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj. Besides, the government's stand was to give a reply once the Legislature Secretariat admitted a question, he said.

Hawker policy, minister of state for Urban Development Rajesh Top told the House the State government had formed a committee to examine if the Centre's National Hawker Policy could be implemented in Maharashtra. Replying to supplementaries on a question by Mr Kamal Dhole-Patil (NCP) and several others, Mr Tope said the committee, headed by Mr Jairaj Phatak, Principal Secretary in the Department of Urban Development, would examine if the Central government's policy could be implemented in Maharashtra in its present form or would require any amendments.

Mr Tope said a meeting of people's representatives from Pune and Pimpri-Chinchwad would be held with the Commissioners of two municipal corporations soon to discuss problems faced by road users on the old Pune-Mumbai road.

Replying to another supplementary from Mr Gajanan Kirtikar (Shiv Sena) and two others, Mr Deshmukh said the State government had asked the All India Institute of Local Self Government (AIILSG) to conduct a pilot study on the re-development of old and dilapidated buildings in Mumbai through the ''cluster method''. The report is expected by February next, he said.

The state government had already announced its draft housing policy, and given a deadline of December 31 next for the submission of objections and suggestions, the Chief Minister told the House.

UNI