Government scraps tender for Thackeray memorial in Dadar

Lowest bidder quoted 54.5% above the estimates, says Shinde

The Mayor Bungalow at Shivaji Park where the memorial will come up.

The tender for construction of the Bal Thackeray memorial in Dadar has been scrapped as the bidder had quoted much higher than the estimates. The memorial is to come up in the erstwhile Mayor Bungalow at Shivaji Park.

The State government has approved converting the bungalow into a memorial for the Shiv Sena founder. The two-storey sea-facing bungalow is a grade II-B heritage structure. Its reservation was changed to a memorial in the Development Plan 2034.

Sena legislator Vilas Potnis raised a question over the memorial’s status in the Council on Wednesday. In his written reply, Urban Development Department Minister Eknath Shinde said the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority had invited tenders for the project on February 24, 2019, but the lowest bidder had quoted 54.5% above the estimates, and therefore the tender had to be cancelled.

“We had to scrap that tender, and are inviting fresh bids. We are hopeful of better response this time. Once the work order is issued, the memorial will take at least two years to be completed,” an officer from Mantralaya said.

The Bal Thackeray Memorial Trust, represented by architect Abha Lambah, has proposed creating a separate structure for the main memorial building that will be constructed after demolishing a round-about at the bungalow. The new structure will have an art gallery, library, seminar and lecture hall, and toilets among others. It will also have a small pond on its terrace, which will reflect the bungalow. Besides, the premises will have an amenity block and an open parking area.

The existing servants’ quarters will be razed to have a new amenity block in the northeast corner. The trust has also proposed a sloping-roof structure that will have a visitors’ centre, café, and an administrative office. The bungalow will host images depicting Thackeray’s life. The alternative location to the main memorial building, an existing parking lot, was not considered as it would require cutting of trees. The government has allocated ₹100 crore for the project.