PUNE/NASHIK: After over 13 years of legal dispute, the first school for girls in the country - the historical Bhide Wada in Budhwar Peth - will be redeveloped as a national monument.
Social reformers Jyotirao and Savitribai Phule founded the school with eight students in Bhide Wada in 1848. They were running three schools with over 150 students by 1851.
Nisha Chavan, Pune Municipal Corporation's chief legal officer, told TOI: "The Bombay high court on Monday dismissed the petition by tenants and shopkeepers, and vacated the stay on redevelopment of the wada."
She added: "A bench of Justice Gautam Patel and Justice Kamal Khata also said the government had full authority not only to construct roads and bridges for public purposes, but also erect monuments in the name of some great people."
Lawyer Abhijit Kulkarni, who represented the civic body, said, "Now, the district collector and municipal corporation can proceed further with project-related works. They can also take possession by following due process of law."
A full text of the high court ruling was expected to be uploaded on the court's official website in due course of time.
In Nashik, All India Mahatma Phule Samata Parishad (AIMPSP) chief and state food and civil supplies minister Chhagan Bhujbal welcomed the order and told reporters that a grand monument will be built at the location.
Tenants had moved high court arguing no school ever existed at Bhide WadaA IMPSP’s struggle has yielded results. It has paved the way to begin the project,” Bhujbal added. State higher and technical education minister Chandrakant Patil said the work for the national monument will be started at the earliest. The legal battle between the PMC and the tenants and shopkeepers went on for more than 13 years and 80 hearings after a petition was filed in May 2010 against a proposal cleared in 2006 to develop the wada into a national memorial. The unused wada lay in a dilapidated condition for long due to the litigation.
Bhujbal said, “The state government will make financial allocations for the project in the supplementary budget that will be presented and approved in the winter session of the assembly.” “Chief minister (CM) Eknath Shinde and the two deputy CMs — Ajit Pawar and Devendra Fadnavis-, have given their approval for the project,” he added. After the PMC had announced the project, the tenants had moved high court arguing that no school had existed there, said Bhujbal. They had claimed there was no such evidence ever at the location. “We also had meetings with the successive CMs and deputy CMs in this regard. There were deliberations with PMC and other government department authorities on the issue,” he added.
(With inputs from Prasad Kulkarni)
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