No 'Constitution temple' in national park, says forest dept

A tender floated on January 28 to build the temple near the Gandhi memorial in SGNP was scrapped

- Yogesh Naik

MUMBAI: The pet project of skill development minister and BJP leader Mangal Prabhat Lodha—to construct a "Constitution temple" inside the Sanjay Gandhi National Park (SGNP)—has been scrapped after the forest department opposed it. The tender floated by the government on January 28 was cancelled after the department clearly told the public works department (PWD) that no new constructions could be allowed inside the forest.

Revati Kulkarni, deputy conservator of forests (SGNP), informed the PWD last week that they had no space within SGNP, and forest land could not be diverted for non-forestry purposes. "We have told the PWD to withdraw this tender, as no construction can be done near the Gandhi memorial where they had wanted to construct the Constitution temple," Kulkarni told Hindustan Times. "If they want, they can build it in one of the existing halls."