CPI(M) general secretary Sitaram Yechury said his party will be raising the controversial demolition of Ambedkar Bhavan in Dadar during the monsoon session of the Rajya Sabha that begins next week.
Mr. Yechury, who visited the site on Saturday with party colleagues, said, “It is highly regrettable that the Ambedkar Bhavan has been brought down. It was not just a historical structure, but also a heritage building.”
Ambedkar Bhavan was demolished in the early hours of June 25, sparking off protests by Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar’s grandson Prakash Ambedkar and other family members. It had housed the Buddha Bhushan printing press and a library with handwritten manuscripts of Dr. Ambedkar’s books.
Responding to claims by the People’s Improvement Trust (PIT) that the “dilapidated” building will be redeveloped with a new high rise, Mr. Yechury said, “No matter what they say, but the way the demolition happened is highly condemnable. This issue will definitely come up in Rajya Sabha. Not just us, many people will raise it.”
Calling Ambedkar Bhavan the “centre of a movement”, the veteran CPI(M) leader said there should have been a consensus among all stakeholders first. He said he would try to join a protest march by Ambedkarite groups and Left parties on July 19, which coincides with the second day of the Legislative Assembly’s monsoon session. It is unclear if the Shiv Sena will also participate in the protest, but the party has strongly questioned the demolition. Its leader and BMC Mayor Snehal Ambekar and MLC Neelam Gorhe had visited the site on July 12.
On July 13, Ms. Ambekar issued orders to stop reconstruction work on Ambedkar Bhavan, and the BMC’s Building Proposals department served a Intimation of Disapproval notice to PIT for violating norms. The notice said PIT had violated rules by not obtaining consent from all tenants, not submitting phase-wise plan of demolition and reconstruction, not providing alternative accommodation to tenants and had not cut water and electricity connections as mandated by law. She issued orders stating that unless the conditions required for obtaining a commencement certificate are fulfilled, no construction should be undertaken.
