Mumbai: Stone laying ceremony of Dr Ambedkar statue postponed

In a statement, Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray said the event will be held later with the participation of all. The postponement of the function came amid reports that several leaders from the state were not invited for it.

The Maharashtra government on Friday postponed the foundation stone laying ceremony of Dr B R Ambedkar's statue at his proposed memorial at the Indu Mills compound in central Mumbai. In a statement, Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray said the event will be held later with the participation of all.

The postponement of the function came amid reports that several leaders from the state were not invited for it. "There is no bias against any political party or organisation," Thackeray said.

He said the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) had planned the function after the state cabinet gave its approval to the revised structure of the statue. "I pointed out to the officials that such an important event should have participation of all. All the dignitaries will be invited in the next few days for a good function," he said.

The chief minister said the postponement of the event should not be policised. As per the new design, the height of the statue is 450 feet, which includes a 100 feet pedestal. The cost of the project has gone up from Rs 709 crore to Rs 1,100 crore.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi had performed the ground-breaking ceremony at the memorial site in October 2015. PTI MR NP NP

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