New 60-feet Shivaji Maharaj statue to come up at Rajkot fort; PWD floats tender

A senior official said that said that the tender has been floated for selecting the contractor for design, engineering, procurement, construction, erection, operation and maintenance of the statue.

The tender document suggests that the statue must have a 100-year guarantee, and the contractor will have to do maintenance and repair works for 10 years.

The official said that initially, a three-feet fibre-made statue model will be created after which the approval will be given to the statue from the Arts Directorate.

“The whole project will be executed under the guidance of IIT-Bombay and experienced agencies will be given the task of building this statue. Several other experts would also be roped in to ensure the strength of the statue,” said an official.

The 35-foot statue of the Shivaji Maharaj that was unveiled by Prime Minister Narendra Modi at Rajkot fort in Malvan tehsil on Navy Day (December 4) last year, had collapsed on August 26.

The Sindhudurg Police had registered an FIR against the sculptor and the structural consultant under sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) for charges including attempt to commit culpable homicide, attempt to murder and cheating.

Sculptor Jaideep Apte, the proprietor of Artistry firm, and structural consultant Dr Chetan S Patil were booked on a complaint filed by Ajit Patil, assistant engineer of PWD.

The complaint alleged poor construction quality, with rusted nuts and bolts discovered in the structure in the inspection carried out by the PWD on August 20.

It further stated that the contractor was also informed and instructed to take permanent measures for the stability of the structure.

A joint technical committee, led by the Navy and comprising representatives from the state government along with technical experts, was formed to investigate the statue collapse.

Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, at a meeting held at his official residence Varsha after the collapse of the statue, had announced that the government will appointment a committee of civil engineers, experts, IIT alumni, and Navy officers to analyse the reasons behind the statue’s collapse and determine accountability.

The Chief Minister had also instructed the Public Works Department to form a new committee of top sculptors, civil engineers, experts, and naval officers to design and erect a grand and fitting statue of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj.

He emphasised the need for caution to prevent such incidents in the future.

The project, which was conceived and managed by the Indian Navy in coordination with the state government, also received funding from the state.

CM Shinde had also met the sculptor of Statue of Unity Anil Sutar and the state government might rope in him to assist with the construction of the new statue.