Shivaji memorial: Nod for 210 m statue, tallest in the world
The Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Memorial project is estimated to cost Rs 3,600 crore. It is one of the flagship programmes of the BJP-led government in the state with major political implications.
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Concept plan of the Shivaji Memorial. (Archive)
The state government’s plan to increase the height of the proposed Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Memorial in the Arabian Sea from 192 metres to 210 metres, making it the tallest statue in the world, has got the approval of the Maharashtra Coastal Zone Management Authority (MCZMA).
After the state government had moved the Ministry of Environment and Forests (MoEF) to make changes in the environmental clearance granted earlier to accommodate the new dimensions of the proposed memorial, an MoEF expert panel had sought the recommendations of the MCZMA, besides more information on the project. The MCZMA approval came in a meeting on Monday. Officials from the environment department said the proposal would now be sent to the MoEF for final approval.
An expert panel of the MoEF had in September sought the MCZMA recommendations regarding the proposed changes. The panel had also sought information on whether the ‘reclamation of the island is part of the project or the reclaimed island already exists’, its impact on island ecology, details of disposal of effluents from the desalination plant along with details of the PIL in the Bombay High Court and a case filed in the National Green Tribunal (Western Bench), Pune.
The panel had sought the recommendations of the MCZMA. “We have cleared the proposal for increasing the height from 192 metres to 210 metres. We will now recommend it to the MoEF for final approval,” said Satish Gavai, additional chief secretary of environment department, who is also the chairman of the MCZMA.
According to the Public Works Department (PWD) of the state government, the monument includes a 126-metre tall equestrian statue of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj placed on a two-tiered pedestal of 84-metre height, reaching an overall height of 210 metres. It has also proposed to erect a fortified wall of 14 metres around the island to protect the area from seawater. The project is estimated to cost Rs 3,600 crore.
Besides, around 13.15 hectare (for phase I and II) has been proposed to be developed with various ancillary facilities like an art museum, amphitheatre and a helipad complex, exhibition gallery, landscaping, open space for viewing and galleries, cafeteria, lavatories, stalls and offices.
The project is one of the flagship programmes of the BJP-led government in the state with major political implications. In December 2016, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had laid the foundation stone for the memorial by performing the ‘jal-poojan’.
How it compares globally
The state government has increased the height of the proposed Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj statue to overtake the height of the Spring Temple Buddha in Zhaocun township of Lushan County in Henan, China. The height of the Buddha statue, including the height of the two pedestals, is 208 metres, making it the tallest in the world at present.
The Laykyun Setkyar standing Buddha in Myanmar is the second tallest statue with a height of 130 metres, while the Ushiku Daibutsu, located in Ushiku in Japan, is the third tallest with a height of 120 metres. ENS
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