The Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) has again tabled the resolution to install the statues of Lord Ram, Dr B R Ambedkar and Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj at different locations across the city, years after the general body of the civic administration approved the resolutions for the installations. As per the state government resolution, the civic body's resolution for the installation of a statue of a national leader or a renowned personality should not be more than a year-old. After passing a resolution in the general body meeting, the PMC has to obtain the no-objection certificates from concerned departments, including the police. The no-objection certificates should not be more than one-year-old at the time of seeking permission of the Statue Committee. The departments have to give their opinion, consent or objection within six months after the civic body submits the proposal to the Statue Committe or the district collector. Further, the no-objection certificate obtained from the police should mention that there is no opposition from minority community or local residents of the area where the statue will be installed. In two proposals, municipal commissioner Vikram Kumar sought the consent of the PMC's general body on the separate resolutions to install the statues of Lord Ram, Dr Ambedkar and Chhatrapati Shivaji at different locations. Incidentally, the municipal commissioner is the administrator appointed for the PMC by the state government due to absence of an elected civic body since 2022. He himself heads all civic committees and the general body. The first resolution said that the previous resolution for installing an 8.2ft long statue of Lord Ram at Shri Ram Chowk on Handewadi Road in Mohammadwai-Kausarbaug area was passed in 2019. The beautification work of the junction has been completed. "The cost of incurring expenditure for constructing foundation for the statue and creating statue will be done by a local organisation called Dashrath Baloba Bhangire Sevabhavi Mandal," said civic officials. The civic body said the permission of all the concerned departments was taken for the purpose as per the law stipulated by the state government but they are old now. "The opinions of the concerned departments have to be fresh before we submit the proposal to the Statue Committee. Hence, the resolution has been retabled to seek fresh opinions of the concerned departments," said Harshada Shinde, in-charge of Bhavan Department. She said the proposal for installing statues would be sent to the Statue Committee for approval after the resolution is passed by the civic body and no-objection certificates are obtained from concerned departments. "The installation will happen only if there is approval of Statue Committee," Shinde clarified. In the second resolution tabled by the municipal commissioner, Kumar said the PMC has proposed to install a 12ft statue of Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar on Aundh Road Survey No 39 and a 15ft staue of Maratha king Chhatrapati Shivaji at the entry point of the city near Harris Bridge in Bopodi. The resolutions for the same was passed in the general body meeting in 2018. The no-objection certificates were sought from the Chief Architect of state government, Art Directorate of state government, Police, Public Works Department, tehsildar and traffic police. While the police, state PWD and the Tehsildar had no objection to the statue of Babasaheb Ambedkar, only the police and the tesildar gave the no-objection certificate for the statue of Shivaji. "Both the statues will be donated to the PMC by Marathi Udyojak Nirman Sena. The bronze statue of Babasaheb Ambedkar is proposed to be 12ft tall and will weigh 1,100 to 1,200 kg. The bronze statue of Maratha king Shivaji will be 15ft tall and will weigh 1,500 to 1,700 kg.," as per the draft resolution. Last year, the PMC passed a resolution to install a 16ft tall statue of Lord Vithal and murals of saints in Kausarbaug Tarawade village near Mohammadwadi. It also approved another resolution the same year to install a 13ft tall equestrian statue of Chhatrapati Shivaji on Katraj-Kondhwa road in Kondhwa Budhruk.
