The Bhide Wada memorial in Pune is expected to be inaugurated before March 2027, with the municipal administration accelerating work on a project that will combine the historic site of Savitribai Phule’s first girls’ school with a larger memorial to the social reformers, Maharashtra minister Chhagan Bhujbal said during an inspection on Saturday.
The project has remained caught in judicial and administrative processes for more than two decades. Bhujbal said the building was nearing completion, but that the more difficult task now was developing an accurate and meaningful presentation of the lives and work of Mahatma Jyotirao Phule and Savitribai Phule rather than merely constructing a structure.
The proposed memorial is intended to bring together Bhide Wada, the site of the first school for girls started by Savitribai Phule, the Phules’ residence and the Savitribai Phule memorial as an integrated historical and visitor destination. The plan includes holograms, audio-visual installations and other visual presentations to explain the reform movement and the contributions of women and people from different communities.
The inspection was attended by Pune Municipal Commissioner Naval Kishore Ram, city engineer Aniruddha Pawaskar and deputy commissioners Bipin Shinde and Avinash Sapkal. Bhujbal said the civic administration was also examining traffic management, parking and visitor facilities because the present area is too constrained even for a bus to be parked properly.
According to Bhujbal, the state government is preparing approximately Rs 200 crore for the Bhide Wada and Phule memorial project and funding is not the main constraint. The immediate requirements include taking possession of the land, addressing the interests of affected parties and securing the cooperation of all stakeholders. He said the purpose was not to cause injustice to anyone, but to preserve the history of the social revolution associated with the Phules.
The project’s delay has involved court proceedings, meetings and sustained follow-up by organisations, activists, lawyers and officials. Bhujbal said the matter had reached the Supreme Court before work gained momentum. He also referred to several meetings in Mumbai involving Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and Chandrashekhar Bawankule, chairman of the OBC committee, over the project and related issues.
Bhujbal said he had repeatedly raised complaints about the delay with the chief minister and concerned committees. He credited the municipal commissioner’s direct involvement with accelerating the work and said the administration hoped to complete the memorial in time for an inauguration before March 2027. He also expressed a wish for Prime Minister Narendra Modi to inaugurate the site, although no confirmed inauguration date was announced.
