Question : Memorial on Morarji Desai

GOVERNMENT OF INDIA
MINISTRY OF CULTURE

LOK SABHA

UNSTARRED QUESTION NO.3352
TO BE ANSWERED ON 10TH AUGUST, 2015

MEMORIAL ON MORARJI DESAI

3352. SHRI D.S. RATHOD:
SHRI PARESH RAVAL:
SHRI DEVUSINH CHAUHAN:
SHRI RAJESHBHAI CHUDASAMA:
SHRI DEVAJIBHAI G. FATEPARA:

Will the Minister of CULTURE be pleased to state:
(a) whether the Government has constituted a Concept Committee to develop suitable Memorial on the Samadhi of Late Shri Morarjibhai Desai named as Abhay Ghat;
(b) if so, the details thereof and the response of the Government thereto;
(c) whether the Government has received request/proposal from the State Government of Gujarat to pay compensation to Sabarmati Ashram Gaushala Trust;
(d) if so, the reaction of the Government thereto; and
(e) if not, the reasons therefor?

ANSWER
MINISTER OF STATE FOR CULTURE & TOURISM (INDEPENDENT CHARGE) AND MINISTER OF STATE FOR CIVIL AVIATION

(DR. MAHESH SHARMA)

(a) Yes, Madam. A Concept Committee under the Chairmanship of Chairman, Sabarmati Ashram Gaushala Trust, Ahmedabad was constituted on 23.2.1996 to develop a suitable Memorial on the Samadhi of Shri Morarji Desai at Sabarmati, Ahmedabad as a part of commemoration of his birth centenary during 1996-1997.

(b) The memorial of Shri Moraji Desai named as Abhay Ghat has been constructed on the land measuring 7450 square meters spared by Sabarmati Ashram Gaushala Trust, Ahmedabad. A sum of Rs.263.58 lakh was released by the then Department of Culture, Ministry of Human Resource Development to meet the cost of this construction. The construction work of the memorial was completed in March 1999. CPWD is maintaining the Memorial.









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(c), (d) & (e): At the time of construction of the memorial in 1996, Sabarmati Ashram Gaushala Trust did not ask for the cost of the land. However, a proposal for payment of compensation towards cost of the land was received for the first time in the Ministry in the year 2000 and was examined at length. Since the commemoration period had already ended by then, the request for land acquisition by the Ministry of Culture could not be acceded to.