Senior journalist Ravish Kumar, who has been intermittently hosting brief discussion programmes on YouTube after quitting NDTV, has raised the issue of Bhide Wada's crumbling condition, where Mahatma Jyotirao Phule and Savitribai Phule founded the girl's school.
Mahatma Jyotiba Phule and his wife Savitribai Phule founded the Bhide Wada school in Pune on January 1, 1848.
The Maharashtra Government and the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) have often announced that the deteriorating structure will be rebuilt to house a memorial for the school and its founders, but the plans have yet to materialize. According to the authorities, there are certain issues with store owners seeking renovation while operating their operations on the land. They filed a request in this respect with the Bombay High Court, where the issue is still pending.
Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader Chhagan Bhujbal, a well-known OBC figure in the state, brought up this matter during the current session of the Maharashtra assembly. Following a meeting with the administration, Chief Minister Eknath Shinde instructed the Pune Collector and Municipal Commissioner to provide a report on the progress of seizing the land owned or rented by tenants within a week.
Ravish said that, despite reading about the Wada’s condition in publications, nothing could have prepared him for the state of the premises. Ravish remarked, "It’s unfortunate that people and political figures who frequently use the names Jyotirao and Savitribai Phule can’t protect such a significant landmark."
"The entire nation should have banded together to restore this structure to its former splendor." "Regardless of what I've been told about the politics around this issue, there can be no justification for allowing this national monument to remain in this state," he added.