14 hours Ago By Sandip Dighe
Pune: The state public works department has decided to begin restoration work on Maratha War Memorial situated at the intersection of Coyaji (formerly Elphinstone Road) and Moledina Road. Currently, the memorial, spread over 5,000sqft, lies in utter neglect, covered in weeds and shrouded in layers of dust. The iron grills around the compound have been affected by the ravages of time.
Besides, the base of the iconic cannons has suffered damage, too. The memorial was built to honour Maratha soldiers who lost their lives in World War I. The then Prince of Wales, Prince Edward, had laid the foundation stone of the structure in 1921.
A senior official from the public works department told TOI, "As per the procedure, we will soon give the work order to a private agency. Our aim is to start the work before monsoon. We have also received the requisite NOC from Pune Cantonment Board (PCB).
" Activists blamed PCB for not doing basic maintenance work due to lack of funds. "It is one of the oldest memorials in the city. But it was neglected by the cantonment board for years.
Therefore, we pursued the matter with city MP and minister of state for civil aviation Murlidhar Mohol, who sanctioned Rs 8 lakh from his fund," said activist, Rajabhau Chavan, who is the president of Sakal Maratha Samaj (Cantonment). A senior official from the PCB told TOI, "We will depute our technical staffers to monitor the repair work." Akash Chavan, the president of Sakal Maratha Samaj, said, "It's a long-pending demand as no agency had carried out repair work in the past.
We have asked the PWD to carry out basic repair work. But apart from that, it is essential to do beautification work. We will pursue the matter with the authorities concerned.
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