A case has been registered against the contractor responsible for the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj statue at Rajkot Fort in Maharashtra’s Sindhudurg, which collapsed on Monday, eight months after its unveiling by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
The Opposition parties have targeted the State government saying the statue was installed in haste ahead of the Lok Sabha elections. They pointed out that while the forts built by Shivaji Maharaj have stood strong for centuries (till date), the statue unveiled by Prime Minister Modi, Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, and Deputy Chief Minister Fadnavis has vanished.
Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut alleged a scam in the structure’s construction. He also claimed that even Aurangzeb and Mughals did not insult Shivaji Maharaj in such a manner. “We need the resignation of the chief minister for hurting the feelings of (the people of) Maharashtra. Public Works Department (PWD) Minister Ravindra Chavan should be sacked. They did not even spare Shivaji Maharaj and indulged in corruption,” the Sena (UBT) MP added.
Meanwhile, Indian Navy officials said a Navy team has been deputed, along with the Maharashtra government and concerned specialists, to investigate the cause of the Shivaji Maharaj statue collapse and initiate steps to repair, restore and reinstate the statue at the earliest “The Indian Navy notes with deep concern the damage caused this morning to the statue of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj that was unveiled on Navy Day on December 4, 2023, as a dedication to the citizens of Sindhudurg,” the Navy said.
“Along with the State government and concerned specialists, the Navy has deputed a team to immediately investigate the cause of this unfortunate accident and initiate steps to repair, restore and reinstate the statue at the earliest,” it added.
Following a complaint lodged by the Public Works Department, which alleges poor construction quality, with rusted nuts and bolts discovered in the structure, a case was registered against contractor Jaydeep Apte and structural consultant Chetan Patil. They were booked under several Sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita for collusion, fraud and endangering public safety.
The 35-foot statue of the 17th century Maratha warrior king, unveiled by Prime Minister Modi at Rajkot fort in Malvan tehsil of Sindhudurg on Navy Day (December 4) last year, collapsed around 1 p.m. on Monday. No one was injured in the incident. However, a portion of the fort was damaged.
The officials told police that despite multiple warnings, including an alert from the assistant engineer of the Malvan division of the PWD on August 20, no preventive measures were taken.
The PWD had flagged the rusting nuts and bolts as a threat to the statue’s stability, but these concerns were ignored, they told the police.
According to District Guardian Minister Ravindra Chavan, the steel used in the statue had begun rusting. “The PWD had already informed Navy officials about the rusting issue and requested them to take necessary action,” he said.
Deputy Chief Minister and senior BJP leader Devendra Fadnavis said that the Navy built the statue, but the State government has now decided to install a bigger statue of the Maratha warrior king at the same place. “The construction of the statue was not overseen by the State government but by the Navy. The individuals responsible for the fabrication and installation of the statue might have overlooked important local factors, such as high wind speed and the quality of the iron used. The statue might have become more prone to rust due to its exposure to ocean winds,” he said.
It is a question now whether the makers of the statue had comprehended all these factors before making it, Mr. Fadnavis said and added that an inquiry into the incident was underway.
His cabinet colleague Deepak Kesarkar suggested that politics should be set aside in light of the statue’s collapse and proposed the erection of a new 100-foot statue at the same location.
“Until a statue of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj is installed in the Arabian Sea, the largest statue of the Maratha founder should be built in Malvan. The statue should be around 100 feet tall. Something good might come out of this accident,” he said.
Published - August 27, 2024 11:53 am IST
