The company that was the ‘proof consultant’ for Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s pet project of ‘Statue of Unity’ in Gujarat has now been appointed by the Maharashtra government as consultant for the ambitious project of Chhatrapati Shivaji’s statue in Arabian Sea at a cost of Rs 83.73 crore.
Egis India Consulting Engineers Private Limited will finalise the detailed project report, including that of a memorial, to be set up along with the statue.
“The decision to appoint Egis as the project management consultant was taken at a meeting on Wednesday. Four other companies which were in the race, could not fulfil the criteria as expected. Egis scored both on the technical as well as the financial side,” said Vinayak Mete, who heads a State government-appointed Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Smarak Samiti.
A 192-metre-high statue of Chhatrapati Shivaji will be installed on a patch of rock spread over 16 hectares in the middle of the Arabian Sea. The idea was first discussed in 1995, during the tenure of the Shiv Sena-Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government. The issue has been pending for years, and gained momentum during the last Congress-NCP government. BJP too made it a poll plank during the 2014 election campaign.
In Gujarat, Egis has been engaged by Sardar Sarovar Narmada Nigam Limited (SSNNL) as a ‘proof consultant’ for scrutinising, vetting and making recommendations for approval of the detailed engineering designs and drawings for architectural, civil, structural, bronze cladding, designs and drawings for the 182-metre-high ‘Statue of Unity’, according to the company’s website. Apart from Egis, three other companies, namely Stup Construction Pvt Ltd, Tata Construction Engineering Pvt Ltd and Sunil Patil Associates had filed tenders.
Stone laying ceremony
According to Mr Mete, the agreement with the company will be signed within the next eight days and the detailed project report will be submitted within the next three months. “We expect the stone laying ceremony to be held by May 10 in the presence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the project will be completed by December 31, 2018,” he said.
Following the signing of the agreement, tenders to clear the land and to build a boundary wall, prepare the statue and an aquarium of international standard, will also be issued. As per the plan, the project will have Shivaji’s memorial on 42 acres of land. The history of Shivaji will be presented via a 3D medium with live shows depicting important events of his life.
