The statue of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj collapsed on Monday in a fort in Sindhudurg district of Maharashtra. It was unveiled by Prime Minister Narendra Modi last year. At present, it has not been confirmed what is the actual reason for the collapse of the statue, it is being investigated by the officials. On the other hand, opposition parties have criticized the state government regarding this and alleged that it has paid less attention to the quality of work.
According to PTI, an official said that the 35-foot-high statue of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj fell at around 1 pm at Rajkot Fort in Malvan. He said that experts will find out the exact cause of the fall, but the district has been experiencing heavy rains and strong winds for the last two-three days, so this could also be the reason. Senior police and district administration officials reached the spot to take stock of the situation and the damage is being investigated. PM Modi unveiled the statue on the occasion of Navy Day on December 4 last year.
After the incident, NCP (SP) state president and former minister Jayant Patil said, “The state government is responsible for this collapse as it did not take proper care. The government paid little attention to the quality of work. It only focused on organising an event in which Prime Minister Narendra Modi was invited to unveil the statue. This Maharashtra government only issues new tenders, accepts commissions and awards contracts accordingly.”
Shiv Sena (UBT) MLA Vaibhav Naik also criticised the state government for the alleged poor quality of work. He said, “The state government may try to escape responsibility. There should be a thorough investigation of those responsible for the construction and installation of the statue.”
Committed to installing new statue: Minister
Maharashtra minister Deepak Kesarkar said, “I do not have complete details about the incident. However, it is important to note that PWD Minister Ravindra Chavan, who is also the guardian minister of Sindhudurg district, has said that the matter will be thoroughly investigated. We are committed to installing a new statue at the same place. This statue unveiled by Prime Minister Modi pays tribute to the visionary efforts of Shivaji Maharaj in building a fort on the sea. We will take all necessary steps to resolve this matter quickly and effectively.”