Bhopal, Nov 6 (IANS) Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chauhan has asked union Defence Minister A.K. Anthony to stop construction of army houses on a land near a memorial to Dalit icon B.R. Ambedkar at Mhow in Indore district, an official statement said Saturday.
The Bharatiya Janata Party leader wrote in a letter to Anthony that the birth place of Ambedkar at Mhow witnessed a huge public gathering to celebrate his birthday April 14 every year.
There was no suitable space within a radius of over three km of the memorial for making boarding and lodging arrangements for visitors during celebrations, he said.
The chief minister said that the land, which belonged to the defence ministry, was traditionally used for boarding and lodging people coming to the memorial to attend the functions.
Chauhan informed Antony that the construction of army houses would create logistical problem on occasions of public functions at the memorial.
The chief minister said that construction work should be stopped and the houses should be built on an alternative site.
He said that the state government would make suitable alternative land available to the ministry for building the houses.
