Shivaji statue collapses in Maharashtra’s Sindhudurg; Opposition alleges corruption in govt

Terming the incident unfortunate, Chief Minister Eknath Shinde said, “The statue was built and designed by the Navy. When I spoke to the district collector, I was told that the winds were blowing at a rate of 45 km per hour that damaged the statue. We will ensure that a new statue of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj is built on the same spot. Shinde added that the Navy officials will inspect the site on Tuesday.

Slamming the government, Opposition NCP (SP) state president Jayant Patil said, “The state government is responsible for the collapse, as it did not take proper care. The government paid little attention to the quality of work. It only focused on conducting an event where Prime Minister Narendra Modi was invited to unveil the statue. This Maharashtra government only issues new tenders, accepts commissions and gives contracts accordingly.”

NCP (SP) leader and Lok Sabha MP Supriya Sule posted the work order of the statue on her X account and said, “The work of the statue was given to a contractor in Thane district. It is for all to see how the work has been done. The said person and all the institutions should be black-listed.” Incidentally, Chief Minister Eknath Shinde hails from Thane district.

According to the work order issued in September 2023, the order for manufacture and erection of the statue was issued to a Kalyan-based sculpture-making company. Despite attempts, the company could not be contacted.

Enraged over the incident, Shiv Sena (UBT) MLA Vaibhav Naik vandalised the local office of PWD and also criticised the state government for “poor quality of work”. “The state government may try to evade responsibility. People responsible for the construction and erection of the statue must be probed thoroughly,” he said.

Party leader and MLA Aaditya Thackeray alleged that the statue was unveiled in a hurry, eyeing the Lok Sabha elections.

Leader of Opposition Vijay Wadettiwar alleged that the Maharashtra government “did not spare even Maharaj from its dirty business of commission”. “This has been an insult of all the followers of Shivaji Maharaj. The contractor must face action,” he said.

On December 12, 2023, former Rajya Sabha MP Sambhajiraje Chhatrapati had written to PM Modi informing him about the problems in the statue he inaugurated.

“Despite availability of several state-of-the-art tools, the statue is not effective and well-proportioned. The work has been completed in short time and in hurry. A number of parts of the statue are disproportionate. It is impossible to know whether it is a temporary statue for the sake of the program or another statue will be installed there,” he had written in the letter.

“I had demanded to replace the statue but it was not accepted… it is expected that the statue should not be erected in a hurry eyeing upcoming elections,” he added.