Kusumagraj memorial work to begin on Feb 27

The memorial is to be situated on a plot of 9,000 square metres reserved for childrens’ park. The Nashik Municipal Corporation (NMC) had dereserved the plot on March 22, 2000 and intimated the State Government accordingly. The government has approved the dereservation, paving way for the memorial.

The memorial is estimated to cost around Rs 3 crore and would include a library, a reference room, a children’s library, a garden and a hall. The first phase of the project would be completed within 18 months and is estimated to cost around Rs 1.5 crore for which the government and the NMC would contribute Rs 50 lakh each.

The Kusumagraj Pratisthan would also contribute towards the memorial fund and even raise money from the public by organising shows on the lines of the Pune Festival, in Nashik.

The chief minister is expected to initiate the project on the birth anniversary of Kusumagraj on February 27. The noted poet and playwright had died on March 10, 1999.