Punekars, we come bearing interesting news for you. The Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC), ahead of the Maharashtra Assembly election has approved ₹7.19 crore for the construction of a memorial for the city’s revered social reformer Savitribai Phule at Budhwar Peth.
Pune To Have Memorial For Savitribai Phule & India’s 1st Girls’ School
As per a report by The Indian Express, the memorial which will be built on the Bhide Wada property will commemorate India’s first-ever girls’ school. Social reformers, Mahatma Jyotibai Phule and Savitribai Phule opened the first girls’s school in India in 1848 in Bhide Wada. After a long legal battle with the private occupants last year, PMC finally acquired the Bhide Wada property in December last year.
On acquiring the property, PMC razed the dilapidated structure to construct the memorial. The president of the city unit of the Nationalist Congress Party, Pradeep Deshmukh threw more light on the matter to The Indian Express. He revealed that the state government has allotted funds for the memorial. Moreover, there will also be a foundation-laying ceremony soon.
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A New Heritage Tourist Destination
Talking about the proposed structure to The Indian Express, Municipal Commissioner Rajendra Bhosale said that it will come up in Budhwar Peth, the heart of Pune. Also, PMC will develop it like a tourist destination. Furthermore, a PMC official said that it will be a three-storeyed building with basement parking. Visitors can visit this tourist destination that will have a heritage look. It will take people through the life history of Savitribai Phule, displayed through paintings and murals. Also, it will showcase a classroom of India’s first-ever girls’ school.
A PMC officer also added that there will be plans to organise a one-day training programme for female students at this memorial. There will also be a guidance centre and inspirational tours for everyone visiting the Savitribai Phule memorial. The PMC’s decision to construct a memorial for the social reformer has been backed by the state government. It has not just assured financial assistance but also helped the administrative body in acquiring the historical property.
Punekars, are you looking forward to this new development?
Cover Image Courtesy: Wikimedia Commons (Picture used for representation)