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The Lower House of the State Assembly, on Tuesday, cleared the decks for handing over the Mayor’s bungalow at Shivaji Park for building a grand memorial in the memory of Late Balasaheb

Thackeray. The Lower House of the State Assembly, on Tuesday, cleared the decks for handing over the Mayor’s bungalow at Shivaji Park for building a grand memorial in the memory of Late

Balasaheb Thackeray. Interestingly, when the bill in this regard was moved in State Assembly, only two Sena MLAs Chandrakant Sonawane and Rajabhau Waze were present in the House. None of the

Sena ministers and Sena MLAs from Mumbai were present.   The Lower House passed the bill unanimously with even MNS MLA Sharad Sonawane supporting the bill, saying that Balasaheb's

memorial should be built in the Shivaji Park area.  NCP MLA Dilip Walase-Patil, however, pointed out that the Mayor's bungalow was in the Coastal Regulation Zone (CRZ) and was a

heritage structure. He said, since none of the Sena ministers were present in the assembly, the House Bill could be withheld. Ranjit Patil, minister of state for urban development, tabled

the bill seeking amendment in the BMC Act, which would pave the way for handing over the land of the Mayor's bungalow to the Trust at a nominal cost to build a memorial.  Patil made it

clear that the State Government would remove all the hurdles to build a befitting memorial for Late Balasaheb Thackeray. He, along with MLA Raj Purohit, reminded the State Assembly that BJP

would never bring politics when it came to paying tribute to stalwarts. Purohit and Patil said that the state assembly would also hold a special discussion to mark fifty years in public life

for Sharad Pawar. NCP MLA Jayant Patil retorted that the government should not displace the Mumbai Mayor, rather it should provide the bungalow adjacent to the Chief Minister's

bungalow for the Mumbai Mayor instead of sending him to the zoo or Ranicha Baug.