The ₹400-crore memorial to late Shiv Sena founder Bal Thackeray will be opened to the public by next year-end.The project, which is coming up at the erstwhile Mayor’s bungalow on the Dadar sea face, includes underground galleries, which will display the cartoons of the late Sena chief, and have audio-visual clips and films on his life and career. The bungalow, a heritage structure, will also have a gallery on the Thackeray family and the growth of the party.
The state government has already allocated ₹400 crore for the project and in the first phase, construction works worth ₹181 crore are underway. The Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority has been appointed as the implementing agency by the state, Desai said. The under-construction memorial is located opposite the iconic Shivaji Park, with which the Shiv Sena has a strong historical, emotional and organic link. It was born at the nearby Ranade Road residence of Bal Thackeray on June 19, 1966 and it held its first public meeting at the ground on Dussehra day in October that year, marking the beginning of this convention. The Thackerays have also addressed public meetings at the ground.